The Tears of a Warrior
by Son Christine
Summary: Kenji has grown up the past fifteen years with a father who continues to wander throughout Japan. His grudge is strong and stubborn. But he discovers a journal that slowly begins to lift the fog.
1. The Discovery

A/N: New story, just like I promised. I had to get rid of my YYH one because there was zero inspiration and it was unfair to write something that wasn't my best. So I guess I'm just going to stick to what I can do and continue writing RuroKen fics! Yay! This one focuses when Kenji is in his teenage years so please **disregard** the Seisouhen. I am not following that timeline and I just wanted to forewarn everyone to avoid confusion. Thanks! Hope you like it!

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**The Tears of a Warrior**

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Kaoru cupped her face in her hands for about the ninth time that night, silently sobbing as she clutched onto the same familiar futon that had belonged to her husband. Her absent husband. She didn't want her tears to resurface because she knew him better than anyone else and she knew that he would always come back for her. And yet she always felt a certain sickness emerge in the pit of her stomach. It was something that made her want to cry hysterically. "Please come back, Kenshin…" she murmured as she caressed their quilt against her face. The scent of the man whom she promised to spend the rest of her life with suddenly triggered her memory. She was instantaneously reminded of the times she used to share with him. Those were the most blissful times of her life. Kaoru knelt down again. Her forehead pressed against the cold floor and she began to tremble violently. She was simply a wife who missed her husband. 

"Mother…you should not have to go through such pain," Kenji whispered, peeking inside the dimly lit room. His eyes softened as he watched her hunch over the quilt she had in her hand. "If father ever cared about you like he claimed… I am sure that he would be here now for you to hold rather than that sheet." The teen rolled his flashing, bright blue eyes and left his mother to cry alone. He had tried to console her many times but they were all for naught. His words could never reach her and even though he wanted to help, it was a matter that was out of his hands.

Kenji sat himself down in the training hall of their quiet and dismal doujo. His keen sense of hearing picked up the sound of cicadas. Sometimes he would try his hardest to drown out the sounds of his mother's weeping by listening to the intricate sounds that the insects would produce. Sighing heavily, Kenji crossed his legs and stared the wall where Kaoru's wooden swords used to hang. The wall was now bare, faint outlines and rusty nails remained. "I would give anything…" he muttered under his breath as he slowly closed his eyes, "to see you happy again, mother. I know of your past with father, how you met. And how you used to practice swordsmanship religiously…"

The sobbing slowly increased in volume. Kenji winced guiltily. "_I should make her some tea while I'm awake_," he thought as he rose from his comfortable position and treaded into the kitchen. He recalled that the last time he saw his father, Kaoru was overly ecstatic. It was almost as if her expression could not be put into mere words alone. Nonetheless, Kenji could not see the joy Kaoru found in Kenshin at all. He only saw lies, deceit, and betrayal. He was supposed to be there. As a father, Kenji was supposed to look up to him and see him as a role model. But now, he was lucky if he ever saw him at all.

Stirring quietly with a thin wooden rod, Kenji inhaled the ginseng scent emerging from the hot cup of tea. Fixing her a warm drink was the very least he could do, as he usually spent most of his time away from home, training to get better at swordsmanship. The doujo was merely a depressing thought in the back of his mind that hung over him constantly. If it weren't for his mother, he would disown his birthplace completely. But for her, he would stay.

"Mother?" Kenji inquired, knocking on her shoji that was left ajar so that he was able to peer inside. Kaoru turned her head and released the quilt that she latched onto so dearly prior to Kenji's interruption. "Enough tears," he coaxed gently as he pushed the shoji open with his right foot while balancing the cup of tea on a small tray. "I brought you something that will make you feel better…"

"Oh Kenji…" Kaoru whispered, wiping her eyes as she looked up at her son. It had been fifteen years since she had given birth and she had hoped that her son would bring Kenshin home more often than not. Kenji hadn't. "You didn't have to. And it's very late," she chided gently. Kenji smiled brightly at her in hopes of cheering her up. "Why don't you go to sleep now?"

"Because I'm too worried about you crying. Night after night, that's all I hear." Kaoru lowered her head as if she were being yelled at. "Mother, I hate to see you like this… in such a condition. And it's all because of that man that I am forced to call my father. I can't stand to see you like this and to know that he is to blame… it just angers me even more."

"Please don't say that… He's gone to help people and try to take some of their suffering away. Please, Kenji. Your father is the most selfless man I have ever met." Kenji merely shrugged. "He said to me that he would be back within the week… and when he does return, I hope that you can find it in your heart to talk with him rationally. I ask this of you because you are my son and he is my husband. And all of us are a family. The last thing that I would want for us would be chaos. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on anyone."

"And what if he doesn't come back? What then?" Kenji inquired, tempted to raise his voice. "You're just going to allow yourself to rot here? Sitting? Waiting for the man who turned your back on you?"

"He didn't!" Kaoru said firmly before allowing her eyes to trail down to the sheet that she was clutching prior to Kenji's arrival. "He didn't… I know that he means what he says. I don't know how I can convince you…since you haven't seen enough of him to know. But…when I was younger and fell in love with him, I was certain that he was a righteous man. With a righteous heart," Kaoru trailed off. Kenji scoffed and looked away, a disdainful expression on his face. "I would give anything to have him here. Kenji, if only you knew--"

"But I don't, now do I, mother?" Kaoru remained silent. "In my eyes, he is nothing. He has proven nothing. And it _will_ remain that way." Kaoru pleadingly shook her head in hopes of convincing her son otherwise but she knew that he was obstinate when he wanted to be. She prayed that Kenshin would return so that Kenji could somehow see the light and realize that he was not as cruel as he was made out to be. "You are wasting your life away as if it were nothing at all! You don't care that you just sit here moping night after endless night, crying and hunching over your bed that you seldom share together!"

Kaoru had always felt the longing to be near her husband again, to hold him again. And she knew that Kenji was right about the fact that she had hardly been with her husband in the way that she wanted to. "I wish that wasn't the case…"

"But it is! Instead of having him embrace you and comfort you when you feel ill, you have to resort to clinging onto this old sheet! This stupid old memory of him!" Kenji cried, gesturing toward the unruly article that lay out on the floor. "A married couple isn't supposed to spend months of time apart! They are supposed to love each other unconditionally, wake up in each other's arms and realize how lucky they are to have each other! They're supposed to grow old together and face hardships together! You don't realize how much I wanted that for you and father… I wanted you to live the life you always dreamed of instead of enduring pain and tears!"

Kaoru's eyes widened. "Kenji…though we may not experience that habitually, I can say that my relationship with your father is stronger than anything. I love him unconditionally, I know that much."

"Yeah I know. But sometimes I can't help but feel as if those feelings go about unrequited. If he were any kind of man, he would not leave you." Kaoru opened her mouth to speak but Kenji made sure to continue quickly. "And I don't care what you're going to say! For fifteen years of my life he was hardly there. How do you think that made me feel? Growing up without a father…" Kaoru had remained silent as Kenji spoke. "I can't stand it that you take so much pride in your marriage with that...man I call my father."

"Stop it! I won't have you speak in that way about him! He is not a bad man. Not at all!"

"I wish I could believe you."

"So why don't you? Trust my intentions and trust that I would not commit my everything to someone who treats me horribly. Kenshin, your father… is an amazing man. Ask anyone. Ask anyone who knew of him. Though he was a Hitokiri in his younger days, he repented for all of his sins and he continues to do that today. That's _why_… that is why he is not around as much as we would like him to be…"

Kaoru closed her eyes, her mind suddenly flooded with images of Kenshin. Her Kenshin. Kenji looked down at her and his eyes softened. "It's late… you should be resting, not crying. Now please go to sleep." He collected the untouched ginseng tea as well as the tray. "Why haven't you taken this?"

"I'm sorry, Kenji…I'm just not in the mood for tea right now."

"It's all right. But please get your rest. I don't want to hear anymore of your crying. For your own sake get those thoughts out of your head and rest peacefully." He smiled jovially at his mother and nodded slightly. Pivoting on his heels, he quietly walked out of the room, whispering a muted "Good night" as he did so. He made sure not to look back at his mother as he walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. He was aware of the fact that she loved him dearly and poured her whole being into him. But for a moment, he heard no crying and let his shoulders drop. Kaoru had stopped thinking about things that led to pain and heartache. For the night, at least.

Kenji yawned as he placed the tray on top of a small stack that sat in a lone corner. "Since she won't drink it, I may as well…" He gulped down the ginseng tea as if it were as bitter as alcohol and placed the cup down on the counter with a small 'tap.' Suddenly feeling drowsy, he thought that it would be in his best interest to go to sleep as well. After talking with Kaoru and trying to calm her down, the fatigue slowly began coursing through his veins. "I'll…just get some rest then…and clean this cup out in the morning…"

Turning around quickly to walk out of the kitchen, he suddenly heard a large crash amidst the peaceful silence. Kenji's shoulders instantaneously darted upward and he cringed, almost afraid to look at what he had done. The teen's eyes trailed down to the floor and noticed that the cup that he just drank out of was completely shattered, it's pieces scattered about the floor. "Kuso…" he hissed as he scrambled to pick up the pieces before Kaoru noticed.

There were about twenty shattered fragments in his hands when he was about to stand up and put them in a small basket right beside him. But there was something that he noticed first. Something that was out of place and something that looked old and dusty. It sat underneath a small jar. Kenji blinked. Its allure interested him and he felt tempted to take it out and examine it further, whatever it was. "What is th--"

"Kenji? What happened out there?" Kaoru cried out.

Kenji's eyes bugged out, completely startled by the fact that Kaoru was coming to check up on him. In an attempt to stand up in a fluid motion, an unpleasant thud followed. "Itai!" he yelped as he hit his head on the table in which he stood under. He felt his entire skull begin to throb as he stood upright, pressing an index finger on the newly formed bump to check for the slightest amount of blood. Much to his relief, there wasn't a trace.

"And what happened here, young man? That crash nearly scared me half to death!" Kaoru chided, waving a finger at her guilt-ridden son.

"I uh…turned around and… um, my sword hit your cup of tea… b-but I drank it all before it fell so there wasn't a spill or anything…" Kenji babbled incoherently.

"That sword of yours… you wear it strapped to your belt just like Kenshin does," she muttered to herself as she surveyed Kenji. "You look just like him… Except for your eye color."

"Yes, mother…purple eyes. Father has purple eyes and I have blue." He looked disdainfully at nothing in particular and placed a hand on his hip. "Now that you know what I did, can you please get some rest while I clean this up?" Kaoru reluctantly nodded. "Mother, I just want you to be well. Can you do that for me?" She smiled at him and nodded. "Thank you, mother. I love you, good night." Kaoru came and kissed Kenji lightly on the cheek before proceeding to her room once again. The redhead sighed contently and picked up the rest of the remains, tossing them in the basket nearest him.

Once he had heard Kaoru's shoji click shut, Kenji knelt down on the floor to survey what he had been interested in prior to Kaoru's arrival. "Now, what exactly is this?" He muttered to himself as he wiped away some of the dirt on the shelf. As he touched the shelf, his hands came into contact with what had piqued his interest. A book. It was a slender book with a brown spine, resembling that of a journal. "What…is a book doing here of all places?" Kenji gripped the worn spine and tugged it out, careful not to allow the jar to crash to the floor just as the cup had done earlier.

Kenji ran a hand across the face of the book, his hand covered in the age-old dust that had collected over the years. There were words on the cover...small but readable words that Kenji had to squint in order to read. "'Tears…of…a…Warrior…'" He sounded out. "What a depressing title," Kenji mused, his blue eyes leafing through the pages listlessly. "Whatever this is, it looks like a diary…a journal, or something, I don't know." Tucking it under his arm and standing back up, he thought to himself, "_I'll read it tomorrow when I have more time. Sounds a little too interesting just to be tucked away as if it were nothing…_" Kenji shrugged as he, too, walked to his own room to drift off to sleep, the thought of the book in the back of his mind.

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A/N: And that concludes chapter one of my story. There will be Kenshin and Kaoru moments in this, hence the romance genre. I firstly just wanted to emphasize how Kenji plays a role in this fiction. Huzzah! Please review, hopefully this new story will keep you interested...? Ja! 

Son Christine


	2. Warning by Shuriken

A/N: Thanks for the nice feedback, and sorry it took so long to come up with the next chapter! I hope you like it, R&R! Oh, and Happy Earth Day...!

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Morning arose and the sun's rays crept their way into Kenji's room. The teen clenched his eyes shut, as he found the flooded light that shone in his eyes was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Once he was aware of the fact that the sun would be of an annoyance to him, there was no use in fighting it. "I may as well get up and do something," he grumbled angrily, undressing out of his yukata only to scramble around to find his training clothes. It was the same as always. He would often leave the house early to train on foot and come back just in time to tend to his mother in the evening. Though he had craved excitement in his life, he learned to cope with the fact that he had responsibilities and would never abandon them, as well as Kaoru. 

Kenji tied the straps on his sandals together, tapping his foot against the floor so that he could have more heel room. "There that oughtta do it. Now what am I forgetting…" Kenji grazed an index finger along his chin, eyes wandering around his room. He looked down at his unkempt futon and that was when he realized what he was about to leave without. "That book!" he cried, suddenly scrambling around to find it. In the mess of his sheets did he come across it again, its worn cover in Kenji's hands. He leafed through the pages for the second time to make sure that it was the same one and sighed heavily. "Man, almost forgot about it. And it looked so interesting and everything! Can't wait to see who's keeping a secret!" Kenji grinned devilishly, held the book close under his arm, and almost dared to skip out of the door.

Kaoru was still tucked away when Kenji walked into her room quietly, poking his head in to survey her condition. "Mother, I'm going out again," he stated firmly as he hid the diary behind his back so that Kaoru wouldn't see it.

"You're going to grow to be a fine swordsman, I just know you are," Kaoru said as a smile. Silence suddenly befell the pair.

The distilled silence put Kenji at ease. Of course he was aware of the fact that Kaoru had never minded that he would go on his daily excursions and return in the late hours of the night. It was the matter of him returning that Kaoru cared about most. And Kenji could not leave, even if his heart so desired to. It was the fact of reciprocating his father's actions that made Kenji refuse to leave home. His insatiable desire to perfect Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu would have to wait.

"I'll be off then, mother," Kenji exclaimed, a resounding laugh trailing beneath his words. His lips were still tugged upward as he turned around and walked out of her room, his face forming into an angular shape as he did so. His face was usually gentler when he did not smile. The curves around his face hadn't yet formed naturally and his overall features seemed much younger than most boys of his age. Particularly though, his shining cerulean eyes were his best feature, seeing how large quantities of emotion were habitually expressed from them, no matter what the emotion happened to be.

Kenji ran out of the doujo, one hand clenched onto the hilt of his katana and the other protectively clutching onto the decrepit journal. He hadn't wanted to train. Though the temperature was nearly ideal and that Kenji surely wouldn't mind perspiring due to training in the sunlight, a certain curiosity took hold of him. He had to learn of the contents written in the book. They lay there in wait to be read. "It was there for a reason, I know it," He muttered to himself through clenched teeth as he picked up speed and dashed through the woods close to home.

Kenji had often found it useful to train far away from passersby. In the deep heart of the woods just beyond a small clearing was where he was able to concentrate. It was the general atmosphere and solitude that the woods had to offer that he was able to focus on nothing but pure swordsmanship. When he was alone, he was able to release. He was able to connect without feeling pressured, flow as if he were a continuous tributary. The chirping of the cicadas surrounding him in the clearing put his mind at ease. It was merely his focus on swordsmanship.

Kenji had spotted a large boulder in his clearing and jogged over to sit down to read the diary, the rock's support underneath him as he flipped the book open. His eyes narrowed in curiosity as his finger trailed downward, studying the shoddy kanji that was written on the page. "Man, this is hardly legible!" he cried out in surprise. His eyebrows curled down as he tried his best to make sense out of the indecipherable handwriting. "Oh here… it gets neater over here," Kenji mused as he tapped his index finger against the first page. "'I had never expected to meet someone like her,'" Kenji read aloud, an eyebrow raising in sudden interest.

"Well from the looks of it and sound of it, seems like my dad wrote it…his penmanship is _horrible_," the boy muttered under his breath as he proceeded in skimming through the book. "'To think that my life as a wanderer couldn't possibly get any better. It's precisely because of the friends that I have. The people in my life nowadays are those with righteous hearts. I was very lucky to stumble across Kaoru-dono when I did.'" Kenji's eyes widened. "So this is basically…a story of my parents' meeting…?"

There was a slight pause in his reading and he closed his eyes for a few seconds before recollecting his thoughts. "So…if I read this, I'll see just how great of a person, Himura Kenshin, was." Realizing that thought had piqued his interest a great deal. Though he had not been very trusting of Kenshin, Kenji was curious as to who he used to be. He cleared his throat and his eyes widened in intrigue as he glanced at the book to read aloud again. "'It all started when I was walking down the street…'"

_I had been minding my own business, really. It was a typical day in all of my wandering days for the past ten years. But not quite so typical as today. I hadn't expected a young girl, Kaoru-dono, to charge at me, calling me by my former name of Hitokiri Battousai. I really hadn't thought that anyone would suspect me but she was ready and willing to fight me, bokken and all. Naturally I was surprised as to why she would charge at me but it turned out that a man named Hiruma Gohei happened to be impersonating me. I knew that no good would come out of that but before I could help her, she suddenly ran off to try and find him. I knew…that she was different from the moment I saw her._

_It seemed as though Hiruma-san was using her way of swordsmanship, the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, as I later discovered when I had to save her from death by his sword moments later. I felt sorry for her, I truly did. I could see her swordsman's spirit in her eyes and how much she was determined to make sure that Gohei would not tarnish and sully her father's name and sword style. It was unusual to me, though. To see Kaoru-dono using a sword…I don't know why that struck me as odd. I had imagined that most females tended not to practice swordsmanship, let alone kendo. Kaoru-dono seemed quite interesting, really. Almost, too interesting for a wanderer such as myself. _

_Once I had saved her from being killed by Gohei, she had fainted in my arms and I proceeded to tend to her by taking her back to her home. It was only right that I tend to her while she fell unconscious from shock. This is how I came to reside in this doujo. After tending to her and making breakfast that very day, she allowed me to stay with her, since she realized that I really had nowhere else to go. Of course I was worried that she would find out of my past and that I was the real Hitokiri Battousai that had slain continuously ten years ago. _

_I had enjoyed that day, I remember. Kaoru-dono had told me the art of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu and how it revolves around the sword that protects. I myself was very fond of that. A sword used to fight for the weak and oppressed people was what Kaoru-dono preached. I felt within my heart that she was… unlike anyone I've ever met before. And it made me smile. _

_I knew that she was greatly bothered with the fact that her swordsmanship style was in danger and I, as a complete stranger could not do anything to help ease her pain. It was in the late afternoon where I was stoking the fires for her bath and I thought her to be crying. I heard her short sobs from outside and naturally, worried if she would do anything rash. And so I let my samurai spirit get the best of me as I ran into the bathhouse and unexpectedly caught sight of something I shouldn't have… I made it no secret that I was horribly embarrassed, as I am sure Kaoru-dono was as well. _

_That night, I was sent to sleep in the equipment shed, Kaoru-dono still furious about what I had done earlier in the day. I told her, however, that she should not go after the man who defaced her swordsmanship style if it meant losing her life. I hadn't wanted to see that. Especially to someone who chose to impersonate Hitokiri Battousai. But she was obstinate about wanting to catch the criminal red-handed and I could say nothing to change her mind. When she had run away, upset that I had even brought up the subject of how her father would not want her to risk her life over a battle, I felt that I had to leave. Imprisoned as I was, I could not do anything to aid Kaoru-dono in any way and I felt that I should track down Hiruma Gohei before it was too late. _

_It was the next day where he had come to find her instead and I had come just in time to see her being held by the collar, about to be cut by his dirty blade. It was then that Kaoru-dono realized that Hiruma-san was not Battousai and that I was the one. I wanted to apologize to her for hiding my identity from her but I first had to dispose of Gohei and his henchmen. I did so rather quickly, incapacitating his left hand so that he might never hold a sword again. _

_If there was one thing that I would always remember, it was the look in Kaoru-dono's eyes when the chaos subsided and she stared up at me with eyes of cool blue. Those sharp yet forlorn eyes caused my heart to pound guiltily within my chest and I had felt sorry. I thought that she would want to have nothing to do with me now that she realized that I was a manslayer. _

_What happened next, though, was remarkable. "I don't care at all about your past and I meant it," she said. I was astonished. Kaoru-dono had still wanted me to stay and I humbly accepted her offer, but not before receiving a smack in the face for telling her that I might accidentally see her in the bath again. _

Kenji's lips tugged upward, closing the book delicately as he stared upward into the sky. He realized that he had taken a little over a half-hour in the clearing and sighed heavily. "I can't believe that was how they actually met. Jeez, and it was all because of that idiot, Hiruma Gohei," the teen sighed happily as his eyes morphed into crescents. Kenji shook his head as he rose from the boulder and outstretched his arms. Considering the fact that hadn't spent much time training but instead began to read Kenshin's journal, he set the leather-bound book in the grass and clutched the hilt of his sword with his left hand.

As he pulled out his shimmering katana, he looked left and right as if it were second nature. He began to hesitate, his right hand hovered over his blade. "_I just picked up a strange flow of ki… something is coming…_" Kenji wasted no time in facing the opening of his clearing, his teeth clenched together in anger and determination. He was certain that he was the only one who knew of his secretive training area and was prepared to see who else had recently learned of it.

Kenji felt a bead of sweat roll down his left temple and he swallowed hard. Surely he had fought before and was not modest when it came to his physical ability in sword combat. Nevertheless, the ki resonating around the area was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was…stronger than his own. Questions formed in his mind shortly after. Was he in danger? Had he done something that would make a Yakuza go after him? He hadn't wanted to know. It was now the fact that he had the chance to use his raw swordsmanship skills to defend himself against the approaching presence.

Kenji winced as his keen sense of hearing picked up the sounds of footsteps. It was now or never. Kenji grabbed the hilt of his sword and drew it out without the slightest fraction of hesitation. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Ryuu Kan Sen Tsu--" The teen stopped short as he realized who came in to check up on him. "Holy…" Kenji muttered, biting off his last word as he felt his heart beat within his chest. "Yahiko! What are you doing here? And you realize that I could have seriously hurt you, right?"

The twenty-five-year-old laughed. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Huh, yeah right," Kenji replied sourly, his nose pointed upward, his hands folded across his chest. "Hey, you didn't answer my question! How'd you get here anyway?"

"You didn't really think that you were the only one who knew of this clearing, did you? I used to train here a few times after Kenshin showed it to me." Kenji snorted at the slightest mentioning of his father. "Oh come on, he's not a bad guy."

"Yeah, yeah…" Kenji waved a hand at the older boy and proceeded to sheathe his weapon.

"But the reason, Kenji, that I came to contact you was because… your mother left without saying a word to our neighbors and that's not usually like her. Of course I could be worrying for no reason and she could be in the market for whatever reason but I felt that I should contact you first before I did anything."

"That's not like mother to leave without saying anything…" Kenji muttered just above an audible whisper. "I think we should get back to the doujo…" Yahiko nodded in agreement. The two boys had begun to leave the clearing but Kenji realized that he would have forgotten Kenshin's diary if he had just left. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see if Yahiko looked in his direction but when he realized that his back was facing him, Kenji causally scooped up the book and hid it behind his back.

"What's wrong?" Yahiko inquired, glaring at Kenji, who at the time, began whistling out of tune.

"N-nothing! Let's get going…" he muttered as he took a step forward. Suddenly, Kenji jumped out of the way and a Shiruken fell to the ground where Kenji would have been, had he not moved out of the way. "What the…? A throwing star?"

"There's a note tied to it. What does it say?"

Kenji picked up the star and winced when he realized that his finger had been cut open. "Damn, these things are sharp as ever! You think whoever threw this was out for blood?"

"One can never be too sure these days," Yahiko noted, carefully retrieving the note and unfolding it.

Kenji peered over the taller man's shoulder and shrugged listlessly. "Jeez, doesn't _anyone _have decent handwriting?"

"And who else do you know around here that doesn't?" Kenji immediately placed his hands over his mouth and Yahiko felt that it would be best to ignore Kenji's histrionics. Yahiko's eyes suddenly narrowed in anger and he quickly handed the note to Kenji. "Read this…"

"'Worrying for Kamiya Kaoru is the right thing to do. Keep an eye out, for we will be watching her very closely from now on and will… claim whatever we wish from her and the Kamiya doujo if necessary. It's a shame that Battousai isn't here, now you will be powerless to stop us. Come and find us if you can.'" Kenji's eyes widened. "Someone's after her…" He began to breathe heavily and without fear, ran out of the clearing and back to the doujo, Yahiko trying to catch up with the youth's fury.

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A/N: dramatic music Had to leave it off at a better spot this time. I hope you liked my extra long chapter! Thanks so much and please review! Ja, minna! 

Son Christine


	3. Born Anew

A/N: Well, here's my next chapter! Sorry it took so long, school is keeping me very preoccupied lately... Ah well, we'll start out this chapter and see how things look from Kenshin's point of view! Yay! Read to your heart's content.

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Kenshin sat down by a pond, eyes softening as he looked at a tiny pebble in his hand. It had been three days since he left Osaka and was hopefully going to return to his wife and son in a matter of a week. Kenshin was aware of the fact that he had often left his love behind, constantly raising Kenji on her own. He knew how difficult it was but Kaoru had said countless times that she hadn't minded. Clenching the pebble in hand, he tossed it lightly and watched as it skimmed across the blue water's surface. The tiny ripples that emanated from his throw gradually widened in diameter and slowly spread throughout the pond until they could no longer be seen. Kenshin sighed heavily and let his shoulders drop. 

"Is everything all right, Himura-san?" came the small voice of the woman that Kenshin aided from a band of thugs not too long ago. Kenshin looked back at her and smiled. She wore a bright lavender kimono, the bow that rested against her back was a calm navy color. In many ways, he was reminded of Kaoru. "You've been sitting here for the past three hours instead of coming inside. My family is in your debt for what you did--"

"Forget it. I felt inclined to help," he replied in a gentlemanly tone. "I was just sitting here and thinking, that I was, Natsume-dono."

"May I ask of what…?" Natsume questioned as she watch Kenshin's frame tense up.

"Oh," he muttered inaudibly as he stared back at the water. "Of…the people waiting for me to return in Tokyo." Natsume tilted her head to the side. Kenshin averted his eyes once more and his rurouni grin was plastered upon his face as he made eye contact with Natsume. "You're probably wondering why I'm idly sitting here when I could return, aren't you?"

"Well, it's just that…if they are important people, I would do anything to rush back to see them again. I don't know how you do it then, Himura-san." Kenshin shrugged slightly and his face no longer held a smile. Natsume knew that Kenshin seemed to be troubled for whatever reason. "Himura-san, maybe you should return to the people who are waiting for you. Are they very important to you?" Natsume muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"My wife and my son," Kenshin replied.

Natsume's eyes widened several fold. "You're…married?" came the blurted out response. Kenshin merely nodded and held his head down. "B-but you look like you're in your twenties! Am I way off here or--"

"Forty-three. I was very much alive during the Revolution and afterward, that I was." Once he realized that Natsume was relatively shocked to hear such and answer, Kenshin smiled nervously. "It seems I don't look my age at all, that I don't."

"Well that's an understatement if I ever heard o--"

"Natsume!" came the chiding, reprimanding voice of her father. Natsume eyed her father in question but decided to let him speak. "Do not bother Himura-san after everything that he has done for you. And besides that, I would feel that it is in my best interest to speak with him at the moment. After all, discussions about ages are hardly relevant." Natsume bowed slightly and turned to leave.

"Natsume-dono, are you sure you're all right?"

She nodded before promptly giving Kenshin and her father some privacy to talk with one another.

"Himura-san. I overheard that you have family waiting for your return in Tokyo, am I not correct?" Kenshin nodded and smiled. "Forgive this intrusion on my part but it has been long enough. You have already stayed here for three days. That's three days where you could have been with your wife who cares for your and your son…"

"I…know…"

"Himura-san, I am aware that you were formerly known as Hitokiri Battousai and you have a desire to repent for all the sins you committed in the past. I know that you are trying to make up for those losses here in this present day and age. But the problem with that is that what you have done in the past can never be erased. It is engraved in history and will be throughout." Kenshin's eyes widened. "Whatever you do now will not change the fact that you had slain many almost thirty years ago."

"But I am able to find happiness by doing so." Kenshin muttered, as if he were feeling guilty.

"I am aware that you are trying to be at peace with yourself and I acknowledge that from the bottom of my heart. However, don't you believe… that you are finding peace and going about it by shunning others around you?" Kenshin suddenly felt his heart pound and quickly averted his eyes. "Take this into consideration, Himura-san: you have a wife at home who most probably mourns for your absence day in and day out. She too, most probably has scars. Not physical ones like you do, but ones deeply embedded within her heart. How long can she last without the person she loves most?"

Kenshin dared not say anything. He had missed Kaoru deeply, and more than that if possible. He would want nothing more than to be with her and love her unconditionally. But…

"I am certain that she cries for you when you are away. No one can comfort her in the way you can," Natsume's father continued. Kenshin had truly felt torn.

"But she understands me. She knows that I do this and she is so modest about it. I know that it hurts her. I can see that whenever I leave our home. But _she_ knows of who I am and who I once was."

"Ah yes, but as long as the two of you rest on your past, you will forever be haunted by the Bakumatsu. If you cannot somehow move forward, the constant pressure of always wanting to help people in _repentance_ will eat you and your family alive. Himura-san, the more you unconsciously struggle to repent for your past, the more you are stuck. Immobile. Unable to live your life with the people who care about your with their every being. These are the people who you should focus on for the rest of your life because they are your family and they love and care for you without a doubt, I am sure of it."

Kenshin stood up and took one last forlorn glance at the pond that he was gazing at not too long ago. "I want to see them. And even more so than before…because I've hardly been there for my _son_."

"How old is your son now?"

Kenshin sighed heavily and brought a hand up to gently rub his forehead. "Fifteen… I have been wandering throughout his existence. And I am sure he hates me for it."

"Himura-san…fifteen long years…" he echoed worriedly. "That's just too much. And even with a child." Kenshin looked down again, shielding his eyes with his long crimson bangs. "I am aware that your intentions are good ones and you wish to seek out every problem you come across. I am eternally in your debt for saving Natsume from those thugs." Kenshin shook his head. "However, the time that you are taking to help other people is astoundingly enormous. And after the Bakumatsu, many crimes have died down. You need not _worry_ about things like this anymore! Please return home to your family. I am sure that they would want nothing more than to see your face again."

"But I--"

"Don't say anything. If you committed yourself to your wife all those years ago, here is your chance to make good on promises kept. Please move on with her. Move on with your life. This is the flow of time and for you to try and always look back… Himura-san, it will not benefit you."

Kenshin clenched his left fist and began to walk in the direction opposite of the setting sun. "Himura-san! Allow me to provide carriageway! At least to Nagoya. Or possibly even Tateyama, perhaps! It is the least I can do."

"Thank you very much," Kenshin muttered, suddenly getting on his knees to bow fully. "I…don't know how I can thank you for this. For talking with me about something that has been troubling me for the majority of my life. It…seems as though I am ready to return…and remain with my family for the rest of my life. I can't bear to think of my wife crying or my son resenting me. And now I realize that they are the ones who I should focus my attention on. And so there is no need to provide a carriage. This talk was compensation enough in the truest sense, that it was." Kenshin smiled. He knew he would be thinking of Kaoru and Kenji the entire way home.

* * *

Kenji stopped short, eyes widening in fear when he noticed another Shiruken wedged in the main door of the doujo. "Yahiko!" he called out as he proceeded to travel ahead to retrieve the note. Angrily pulling out the star, Kenji's hands began to bleed violently. He hadn't cared, for his tolerance for pain was very high. As he tried to free the note from the Shiruken, Yahiko noticed that Kenji had been badly hurt. "Hey help me out, would ya?" Kenji cried releasing the star and waving both hands as he winced. 

"Leave all the sharp objects to me," Yahiko muttered as he untied the note and snapped the paper open. "'We have not harmed her…yet. She is merely aware of the fact that we are going to get what we want. And soon.'" Yahiko tore up the letter and banged his fist against the doujo gate. "Dammit," he hissed. "What's all this about?"

"You think _I_ know! Look, all I want to do is make sure that my mother is going to be okay! If I have to fight a Yakuza to do it, well then so be it!" Kenji interjected impudently.

"Don't rush in! And don't fight unless you have to," Yahiko scolded. "Being angry is easy to do but being angry for the right reasons is a difficult thing to do."

"Gee, thanks for the pep talk," Kenji said in a sarcastic manner, folding his arms and looking away from the older boy. "But I don't get angry all that easily, ya know!" Yahiko cocked an eyebrow. "WHAT? The reason why I'm so mad right now is because a bunch of morons are threatening my mother! I don't know if this occurred to you or not, but she's the only person I've got left! Father left, and mother has always been here for me. And I've made sure to take care of her in return. I think that I have a right to be angry and I _know_ those reasons are right."

Yahiko smiled. He was aware of Kenji's amazing strength from within and his courage was also potent. "You remind me of myself when I was younger," Yahiko muttered.

"And is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Kenji inquired sardonically.

Yahiko shook his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you're too serious for your own good?" Kenji looked away. "But anyway, we should get going. Maybe people have heard of things going on around town. There's bound to be someone we can ask. Maybe Tae… what do you think?"

Kenji nodded. "Then let's get going!" Kenji had gripped his katana hilt with his left hand and started to sprint for the Akabeko, Yahiko following quickly behind him. "So," Kenji said, forgetting to manage his breathing as he ran forward. "What's the plan for when we get there? Ask Tsubame-chan and Tae-san?" Yahiko blushed fiercely.

"Is there a particular reason as to why you want to interrogate Tsubame?"

"Nope," Kenji whistled. "The more people we ask, the better." Both boys continued to sprint and had managed to make it into town within a matter of minutes. Both Kenji and Yahiko had to do their best as to not bump into the bustling crowds that usually passed through town around that time. Kenji hadn't liked crowds much and felt inclined to continue past until they reached the Akabeko.

It hadn't taken more than a minute longer of running before Kenji and Yahiko reached the Akabeko. "Tae-san!" Kenji cried out, wasting no time in looking for someone he could question. "Tae-san, this is important!" Many people looked at Kenji in question and began to wonder what was going on.

"Oh Kenji-san," Tsubame squeaked as she rushed over and bowed slightly. Yahiko smiled. "Your mother is here right now. Is that why you were calling out for Tae-san just now?" Kenji's eyes widened. "W-what's the matter?"

Kenji hadn't replied but instead ran into the restaurant where he saw his mother slowly eating a bowl of plain soba. "Mother!" Kenji called, walking swiftly over to her. Kaoru lifted her head and her eyes widened in surprise to see her son standing before her. "You… you had me so worried…"

"Kenji? What on earth are you talking about? And didn't you leave this morning to go train?"

"You don't get it do you? Yahiko and I received messages from two Shiruken and there are people threatening you! You're in danger!" Kaoru's eyes widened. "Please get home mother, I'll take you." He cupped her hands in his and winced slightly, realizing that the brushing up of Kaoru's hands had reopened the wounds on his hands.

"W-what happened?"

"Forget it, it's nothing!"

"Your hands are soaked in blood," Kaoru exclaimed, studying her son's fingers and palms. "I want to know what happened to you."

"The Shiruken. When I tried to get the letters from both of them, I hurt myself. But it's fine. Really. _You're _the one who should be worrying! Yahiko knows the whole story too--"

Suddenly, Kenji whipped his head around as a loud crash sounded in the front of the restaurant. The resonating ki that he picked up seemed to be very strong. "_This time, it may even be stronger than Yahiko's… and then what? Will we both lose?_" Kenji grit his teeth. "Mother, someone's here for a fight. And I'm not backing down either. That's not how I fight."

"Where is she?" A roaring man's voice yelled as he entered the Akabeko.

"Forget about her for now," Kenji replied calmly as he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly through his nose. "I will be your opponent today. So you can just forget about hurting anyone else in this fight that's only between you and me, you got that?" The man glared at Kenji with mild interest and grinned. He was very tall in stature and had a weapon that resembled a wakizashi. Kenji sneered. "You're going to fight me with that? What tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

The man grinned evilly. "Nothing, except for the fact that today is your dying day. Are you prepared?"

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope you liked it! I'm not sure if the first chapter was a bit of a slow start but this is a relatively new genre that I'm trying out. Oh and two things: 

The Seisouhen was a great movie...don't get me wrong. But I just hated the way that Kenshin acted. A man like him is deemed to always press onward and move forward with his life. I prefer that he realize the things important to him and closest to him, which is why the man that he had helped talked with him about it in this chapter. Now, it may seem farfetched that Kenshin would listen. However, concerning the matters of his wife and son and coming to a realization that he had strayed far away from them long enough showed that he was too caught up in his past to learn of the feelings of those close to him. Aaah, well it makessense in my head at least... and look at it this way, Kenshin's going to return soon, which should make things preeetty interesting. Woo! (shifty eyes)

Another thing, I'm not sure if it's spelled Shiruken or Shuriken... (sweatdrop) but they're defined as throwing stars that shinobi often use... if anyone can let me know of the definite term, it would be much appreciated! I'm always one for chatting

Well, there you have it! Kenji's about to go into what looks to be an important battle. How will he do? And the real question! Why are these men after Kaoru? Is it up to Kenshin to save her or can Kenji handle it on his own? Woo there, got carried away! Heh heh, well anyway, please review for this humble author! (bows) Domo!

Son Christine


	4. Hidden Motive?

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Enjoy!

* * *

Kenji's eye twitched and there was something about the man that made him extremely uneasy. "All right, we'll duel outside and away from the innocent. But just remember, it's going to be your loss and not mine." Just as Kenji was about to step forward, Yahiko's arm blocked him off. Kenji glared up at the taller boy and waited for an explanation.

"The sword you use is meant to kill. And if you wish to protect the innocent, I suggest you use this instead," he remarked, loosening Kenshin's old sakabatou from his hakama belt and handing it to Kenji. He looked up in question. "Your father's ideals were perfect. He would fight for the oppressed. He would risk his life for the sake of others," Yahiko said sternly. Kenji knew that now was not the time to argue in return. "He was a man who stood for what was right. And I suggest that you follow in his footsteps and do the same. Make everyone here proud and stand for justice. Do not kill. Defend…and protect."

Kenji slowly took the sakabatou in his bleeding hands and glared at the blade as he pulled it halfway out of the sheath. "All right," Kenji agreed. He somehow felt the strength of his father flowing through him as he clenched the weapon and stepped outside to confront the man who had ambushed them not once but twice. "Even with this sakabatou…I can defeat you, I know I can."

The man laughed heartily and took hold of his own stomach. "That's a good one, kid. Like you can hurt _anything _with that pathetic thing you call a blade." The man was too distracted by his own laughter that he did not see Kenji's blade come into contact with his mouth. He coughed violently and momentarily dropped his weapon as he held his jaw in pain. "You…little…what the hell are you?"

"Himura Kenji. The person who's going to beat you for threatening my mother." The man picked up his sword. Kenji started up again and clashed swords. He gave his opponent an angry and intimidating stare. His usually calm blue eyes were now narrowed and sparkled with a mischievous desire to protect his loved ones. The weaving of swordplay started out rather slowly, a small rhythm forming. Kenji hadn't wanted to unleash a Hiten Mitsurugi attack unless it was absolutely necessary. The extraneous strain from said attacks would not prove to aid him in the final stretch of the battle.

The man pulled out his wakizashi from underneath Kenji's sakabatou and quickly tried to stab at his gut but narrowly missed. "Such tricks won't work on me," the redhead muttered, switching grip on the sakabatou with ridiculous ease so that he might be able to follow up with a Dou Ryuu Sen. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu!" He cried out as he held his blade high above his head. "Dou Ry--" He gasped in pain as he felt something go right through his shoulder. The pain caused his entire left arm to tingle in a way he had never felt before. The man laughed wickedly at the boy's expense and prepared to attack once more.

Kenji was on the ground, clutching his stabbed shoulder. Kaoru called out for him but he remained on his knees. "A hidden katana…I should have known," he muttered through grit teeth as he stood up and held out the sakabatou in front of him. "Got anymore stealthy weapons, there?" Kenji quipped as he held out his sword. Lunging forward for the second time, Kenji carefully watched as the man tried to attack with both the katana and wakizashi. "I don't think so," he hissed as he backed up and tried to perform another Dou Ryuu Sen. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Dou Ryuu Sen!" Kenji struck his sword into the earth, dirt and shrapnel flew everywhere.

The man had been temporarily knocked over, blinded by the debris that flew into his face and Kenji found it convenient to finish the duel with a Ryuu Tsui Sen. He leapt into the air cleanly and came down, delivering yet another blow and the only thing that could be heard was the man's groans of agony. "Please! No more!" came his begging voice.

"Would you have showed my mother decent courtesy if she had asked you to leave her alone? I don't _think_ so…"

"Wait, boy! It wasn't me…I swear. I was only hired to kidnap her. It's all Hikojirou's doing!"

"Who?" Kenji sneered.

"Tagansai Hikojirou. The leader of our group."

"I see. Well then I'll keep an eye out for _him_ then. Why don't you go back and tell him that, you pathetic dog?" Kenji growled angrily. So he had finally found out the name of his mother's so-called soon-to-be captor. Sheathing his sakabatou, he glared at the man, boring holes through him. "Well? Aren't you going to go and forewarn him? You should let him know that I have backup!" Kenji rubbed his nose. "That's right! Myoujin Yahiko!" Yahiko raised an eyebrow. "We'll be more than enough to kick your ass," he laughed resoundingly.

"Watch that tone!" Kaoru reprimanded.

"That kid's got a mouth on him, that's for sure," Yahiko mumbled, adding his two cents.

By the time that Kenji walked back to his mother and Yahiko, the man had already retreated and cheers were heard throughout the Akabeko. "Kenji-san, you were great!" Tsubame complimented as her eyes morphed into crescents. Kenji sheepishly put a hand behind his head and blushed.

"Yeah, runt, you're getting better," Yahiko grinned.

"Who are you calling a runt?" Kenji muttered in embarrassment.

He turned around and folded his arms. The swarms of people who had watched the fight had now subsided for the most part. However, Kenji's eyes widened as he spotted someone he knew. She stood there, blatantly standing out in front of all the rest in the dismal crowd. "C-Chizuru-san?" He murmured as she made eye contact with him.

"Hello, Kenji-kun!" Chizuru cheerfully replied, walking over to greet him as well as his mother. "And it's nice to see you, Kaoru-san." Kaoru smiled and patted Chizuru on the head. "Ano…I saw you fight that frightening man and I just wanted to say that…um, you did very well," she remarked shyly. Kenji blushed.

"Heh, we all know that every warrior needs praise from his woman, right?" Yahiko remarked, slapping Kenji on the back. If it were possible, Kenji's fierce blush would surpass the hue of a tomato. "Look at you! All flustered! Jeez, I guess Kaoru and I should leave you two alone." Kaoru put a hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle.

"Mother, please…not you too…" Kenji moaned. Kaoru and Yahiko started to walk off and Chizuru only chuckled slightly. "Well, now that that's over…" he whistled. Chizuru nodded and she let her eyes trail down to his shoulder when she suddenly noticed his wound. Her eyes widened in shock, and to this, Kenji noticed her state of panic.

"Your shoulder! And your hands! Kenji! What happened to you?" He stared into those worry-filled eyes and smiled.

"It's all right."

"Please let me help, Kenji," Chizuru asked, holding onto his navy blue gi. He was tempted to smile but remained as serious as he usually was. "You couldn't possibly benefit from this blood loss," Chizuru added, determined to help him. Kenji sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "Ohh… did I do something to upset you?" Kenji's eyes widened when he realized that he appeared to be in a troubled state of mind in front of Chizuru.

"Aah, I'm sorry…" he said as he smiled lightly. "No, no, you didn't do anything." She smiled back at him. "I'm…fine, you really don't have to dress my wound."

Chizuru merely nodded. "But, would you like to come back to the doujo with me?" Kenji asked politely, feeling as though the butterflies in his stomach were about to emerge any second. Chizuru hadn't yet let go of Kenji's gi and as he started off in the direction of the doujo, something fell to the floor, its almost inaudible sound had caught both Kenji's and Chizuru's attention. "_Oh no!_" Kenji thought as he bent down to casually pick up the book.

"What is that?" she inquired as she stood on her tiptoes and looked over his shoulder.

"Um…it's uh," Kenji fussed, tripping over his words. He couldn't even string together his sentences properly let alone tell her that it was his father's journal. Chizuru blinked. "_May as well tell her the truth and not lie…_" he thought in the back of his mind. "It's a journal I found at home. It belongs to my father," he concluded as he averted his eyes from her large ones.

Chizuru was aware of how much Kenji disliked Kenshin. He had told her many times prior. But the thing that she hadn't understood was that if he disliked Kenshin so much, why would he possess something that belonged to him. "Where did you end up finding it?"

"In the kitchen at night when I was making my mother some tea. It was out of place…how could I not see something like this and just disregard it?"

"Yes I know. I understand that it may have had some sort of allure what with it being out of place," Chizuru remarked, her eyes not leaving the decrepit journal all the while. "Have you decided to read this to see what kind of man he was back when he was younger?" Kenji nodded. "I know you say he is a bad man who has left for all of this time but I am sure, Kenji…that he cares about you. Why else would he come back?"

Kenji sneered. "You have to know the person he comes back to…my mother. And she's the one who waits for only _his_ return. I have known that fact all my life. I know that my mother has faith in him and that he seldom returns…" Chizuru felt her eyes soften as she looked at the anger on Kenji's face. "But I have to discover just what kind of man he is on my own. For the most part anyway. And that's why I have to read this journal. I have to know how Himura Kenshin lived his day-to-day life. Regardless of the fact that there's no room in his heart to care for me."

Chizuru clutched harder onto his blue gi, "Don't say things like that. There are plenty of people who do," she said as she pouted at him. Kenji laughed inwardly.

"I'm sorry for dwelling on something like this," he remarked shyly. And then he held out his hand, momentarily forgetting about the wounds on his fingers and palms. He blushed. "Well, I was going to hold out my hand to you, but I'm sure that you wouldn't want to grab hold of it now." Chizuru laughed. She was both glad and surprised that he had made such an attempt. Kenji smiled before burying his hands in his long gi sleeves. "Shall we go?"

* * *

Kenji winced as Chizuru cleaned his hands with fresh well water. She looked attentive as she stared at his palm and tried to remove the dried blood that formed around his wounds as well as the minute amounts of fresh blood that seldom escaped from his deep gashes. Kenji had finally given into Chizuru's worrying and had let her dress his wounds. As she worked, Kenji noticed the look of care in her eyes. He could see it and it was blatantly obvious to him. "Next time Kenji," Chizuru remarked slowly, jolting Kenji out of his reverie provided by the silence in his home, "please be more careful. I don't mind doing this for you. But jeez…" 

"What is it? Go on," Kenji laughed.

"You must have a high tolerance for pain."

"Yes, I suppose it's true. Maybe it's because I had wanted to seek ultimate strength. W-well, I still do… but I have to take care of my mother first and…you know how it is," Kenji muttered, biting off his last words as his large blue eyes slowly met up with Chizuru's. His heart thumped within his chest as he watched her expression slowly morph into a small smile. "And I uh, well… y'see… I will end up going and traveling to Kyoto to perfect my Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu but for now, I can say I'm content with being around my mother, Yahiko, and you of course, Chizuru-san."

"Well, well, well, Kenji!" Kaoru suddenly exclaimed happily, walking into the training hall and glaring suspisciously at her son. Kenji had nearly jumped out of his skin with such a resounding entrance, courtesy of Kaoru. "I always knew that you felt strongly for Chizuru-chan!" Kenji blushed fiercely, averting his captivating gaze from both his mother and Chizuru, who at the time sat politely on the floor, trying her hardest not to blush as well. "I was only teasing. Well, anyway Kenji, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be going to the market to buy some tofu for tonight's dinner."

"Mother…it's getting late. I'll go instead."

"Don't be silly, Kenji. You have a guest here to entertain, do you not?"

Kenji sighed and stood up, pulling back his hands to examine the job that Chizuru had done. "I'm fine. Well, we're fine. We can both go together, can't we, Chizuru-san?" She nodded happily. "It's just that I worry for your safety even more so now because of today's battle. Mother, you're very important to me, you know." Kaoru smiled genuinely at her son. She was in many ways, extremely proud of him. "And now that it's late…"

"I will be just fine," Kaoru reassured. "And besides, I still know of my Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu so I'm not a lost cause am I?"

Kenji smiled, "No, I suppose you're not, then…" He looked down at his hands momentarily before promptly seeing his mother walk out the door. "And if you're in danger, how will _I_ know of it?" Kenji shouted after her as she waved a hand off at her overprotective son.

"She'll be fine, Kenji…don't worry about her. She's right though, she still does practice swordsmanship so she'll be able to take care of herself."

"But still… that man… the one that I dueled today at the Akabeko…" Kenji muttered inaudibly to himself. Chizuru blinked. "I could tell that he was holding back a great deal of his strength. For what reason, well, even I am not sure. Perhaps the reason that he did hold back was to show everyone that he played no threat as long as I was there to fight with him. I don't know. But this is why I am very worried for my mother, Chizuru-san. Very worried…"

A/N: I just felt like I should add Chizuru in this fic since is lacking her character so much. And I'm not so sure how to portray her...seeing how she was in the Seisouhen for not even a minute at the end, but that's beyond the point anyway. Thanks for reading, and I hope you review! I hope to have the next chapter out soon! Domo!

Son Christine


	5. Lurking in the Shadows

A/N: AAAAAH! Over a month! Sorry sorry sorry! (bows in front of readers) Well, I hope you humbly enjoy this chapter. I'm starting to build back some inspiration...as well as a new muse known as NARUTO! Bwahahah! Ahem..err, hope you like!

* * *

Chizuru stirred two cups of green tea, completely uniform. She watched as Kenji sat in the training hall, flipping through the book, a smirk readable on his lips. "Read something interesting in that journal?" Chizuru asked as she found herself suddenly grinning. Kenji poked his head up from his reading and nodded, He too, was smiling.

"I'm just reading about how my father was honored to be around my mother. He was very polite to her, from what I've read so far."

"Well, see? He's not as bad as you make him out to be, Kenji!"

Kenji scrunched his nose teasingly at Chizuru before promptly returning to his reading. Chizuru placed the two cups of green tea on a tray and walked over to where Kenji propped himself against a wall. "Thank you, Chizuru-san," Kenji said politely, head bowing slightly as he took the cup from the small tray in which Chizuru held firmly. He patted the floor next to him and motioned for Chizuru to sit with him. As she did, Kenji scooted over so that he placed the book between the two of them to read together. "Want me to read aloud?" Chizuru nodded and placed her left hand on the edge of the journal, stretching it out so she could look on as he read.

"There was a lot before this though, about he met Yahiko and his friend Sanosuke… I think that was his name… well anyway, I am reading the parts where both my mother and father were in situations. I just want to see how he treated her. What my mother really saw in him."

"I know, Kenji," Chizuru said, signifying that she believed his reasons to be honest. "But I'm sure your father loved Kaoru-san very much, Kenji."

Kenji shrugged loosely, his wry expression morphing gradually into a blank stare. "Well then I guess there's only one way to find out," he added, placing his index finger on the illegible kana that stood out brilliantly in comparison to the off white pages. "'I remember also when I woke up one morning to find that Sanosuke and Yahiko were rummaging for food. That seemed like no surprise to me, seeing how they were habitually doing something of that sort…'"

_But the thing that puzzled me was the fact that they were complaining about there not being any food. I wasn't sure if they were looking hard enough, because I was certain that Kaoru-dono had just brought back decent pay from giving swordsmanship lessons to her students. Even though that was the case, we all came to terms with the fact that times were hard to live through at that moment, that they were. When Kaoru-dono heard us making a racket, she came in giving an excellent point saying that she was the only one making any sort of income toward this doujo. I felt guilty. Perhaps I had been relying too much on her._

_We all left the doujo soon after, my thoughts still clouded with the fact that Kaoru-dono had been supporting us this whole time. It was then that I wanted to do something in return for all of her kindness. I couldn't have asked for better timing. Sanosuke, Yahiko, and I had overheard a man speaking of a dangerous fleet known as the Kairyuu. The pay was decent enough and Yahiko, Sanosuke, and I were on our way on a ship belonging to a man named Senbonya Yohei. _

_It hadn't been long at all and already it was apparent that Yahiko was suffering from seasickness. I myself had been on ships during many deathmatches while I was still a Hitokiri so of course my stomach wasn't as delicate as Yahiko's. I pitied him truly. All Sanosuke and I could see was a yellow blur running to the side of the boat and clinging on to the railing miserably. And as if that wasn't enough, a young woman ran by his side. Apparently she had the same problem… _

_It was when she turned around that I finally recognized the person with Yahiko. I was stunned beyond belief. Hah! That was an understatement, if anything. It was Kaoru-dono! Of all people, she was on the Senbonya fleet with Sanosuke, Yahiko, and I. Why? She told us afterward that she only wanted to give us something good to eat every once in a while and didn't mind going on the ship to make money and help out. I was surprised at how selfless she was being. Especially since she made the point about us not being there to help her in reciprocation for her kind deeds. _

_I wish I could have told her how much I cared about what she was doing. But before we knew it…we somehow got found by the Kairyuu and were ambushed during the nighttime. A little foolish on my part, really. I knew I should have been suspicious of such a group. The Kairyuu were known for the way they slaughtered people and plundered ships mercilessly. As if without the slightest bit of hesitation. I wished that I could be stronger. But it was difficult enough as it was, Kaoru-dono was involved in the battle and was on deck as the pirates decided to conveniently attack. _

_I engaged in combat with the leader, Shuura, and it wasn't before long that I was hit with a poison dart by one of Shuura's subordinates. Surely I wouldn't give up. I refused to leave Kaoru-dono vulnerable. However…Shuura was very good and the dart slowly started to take effect. I was surprised to learn that Shuura was a female, as I'm sure everyone was as well. _

_The next thing I remember about that night is how I collapsed and realized that Kaoru-dono was no longer by my side but instead in the hands of my foes. I couldn't believe it. I dropped my guard because of that poison dart that was embedded in my back. I had to do something, and fast. I didn't want them leaving without her. And so I leapt off the boat and onto the dock, begging Shuura to let her go. I never imagined that I would have to take place… _

"Dang," Kenji whistled, closing the book slowly and looking at Chizuru with a skeptical expression.

"Your parents…your poor mother and father. They went through so much together, didn't they?" Chizuru asked quietly. She looked down at Kenji's hand and placed hers on top of his. The difference in size made her feel somewhat comforted. "The fact that you dislike your father so much is so unfortunate. I'm sure he was such a good person. And still is, I mean…"

"Keh, maybe he was, maybe he's not."

"Maybe you should ask Yahiko-kun to tell you a few stories back when he traveled with them!"

Kenji looked down at Chizuru's hand resting comfortably on his. He felt his lips tug upward gradually. "Thank you, Chizuru-san…"

* * *

Kaoru clutched onto the small purse in her left hand as she entered the marketplace. It was no longer as lively as she knew it was during the midday period. The time had exceeded six at night and there were few people still out shopping. The sun was setting. Kaoru looked up and noticed how the hues of orange and pink illuminated the entire vicinity.

"Hello, Kaoru-chan," greeted one of the women who worked at a nearby fruit stand, "buying the usuals, I see?"

"Yeah," she replied as she sighed heavily.

"Oh, what's the matter? You look pale and much older… than I'm used to seeing you as." The shopkeeper herself was aging quickly and was about 20 years older than Kaoru, so she didn't find it impolite asking about her wan appearance. "Would you like to talk with me inside? Chouji is preparing dinner for me. I couldn't ask for a better grandson." Kaoru smiled politely.

"Oh no, I shouldn't. Kenji's waiting for me at the doujo…and you know how he gets…" she muttered while laughing. The shopkeeper giggled.

"That's to be expected of a young boy such as himself. Youths these days! So impatient!"

"Oh? He reminds me of myself when I was a teenager!"

"Don't make it sound as if you're so far from your childhood, Kaoru-chan. I can tell it's still there." Kaoru's eyes widened and blushed shortly after. "But yes, I have to agree that Kenji is very much like you in many ways. And that reminds me… what of that Chizuru girl? Many people here are beginning to talk of their relationship together. But I just want to make sure… are they seeing each other?"

"Aaah, not that I know of," Kaoru replied calmly, "though I have to say Chizuru-san is a sweetheart." The other woman nodded thoughtfully. "She has been extremely supportive of Kenji and I always believed that she had some sort of crush on him. For some reason, I can tell… it's just something about those two that I've always liked."

"Now they're a couple that reminds me of you and Himura-san."

"Aah-well…r-really?" Kaoru stammered.

"You don't have to act so surprised, Kaoru-chan," came the raspy reply of the older woman. "Kenji has the noble heart of your husband. He is strong and unwavering and is willing to lay his life on the line for the people he loves. That's what I sense from your son. And if he were to be presented in a situation where he had to protect, he would do it single-handedly. Your son is a genius, much like your husband." Kaoru smiled sheepishly. "I believe he can master the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu in a matter of mere months if he desired it so…"

"Ah, he does…believe me," Kaoru laughed. "He's very determined…"

"He'll make a good husband. With his strength and gentle ways. He's a good person." Kaoru nodded and proceeded to pay for the fruits that she picked out and put in a small basket. "Oy, Kaoru-chan? What say we investigate the Kenji Chizuru situation further? You may be right about them liking each other. And they're both fifteen now. Quickly approaching as adults, I would say."

"Yeah, way too fast…"

"It was bound to happen, Kaoru-chan. We're all proud of Kenji-kun and we want him to do well in the future. He's going to make everyone here proud. Before, when you were a teenager, this town housed many isolated souls. But now that the war is over, people have come to gather and trust each other. We all know Kenji, every one of us. Such a pure soul."

"I hoped to raise him that way, I guess it worked," Kaoru grinned. "Well, I think I should get going. I still have to buy some tofu for tonight's dinner!"

"Ah, don't even worry about traveling. I'll get Chouji on it right away. Since he's making dinner right now, I'm sure he can give you extra while he's already in the kitchen. Hold on, let me get him." The shopkeeper went inside briefly, calling out for her grandson while Kaoru just smiled. "Chouji-kun? Chouji-kun?"

"Ittai nani ga, 'baachan? I'm making ramen right now!"

"Shhh! Don't be rude, Kaoru-chan is here!"

Kaoru smiled deeply and in a few moments, the speaking became inaudible. She had wondered many times before when she would become a grandmother herself and when Kenji would decide to have children. "_I still have a lot of time before my Kenji settles down_," she thought. "_But I can't help think about it sometimes!_"

"Yare yare… what a troublesome boy. Here Kaoru-chan. Tofu was what you needed, right?" Kaoru nodded. "Well now, you be careful going home now, all right? It's getting dark and I'm sure there are hardly any people left on the streets. Especially where you reside!"

"Ne, Obaasan," Kaoru said teasingly, "I'll be fine! I do practice swordsmanship, you know!"

"But not so much anymore!"

"Aah…that may be true…but don't worry, I'll be all right," she added gently. "Well then, I'll see you later." The shopkeeper waved her off in a friendly manner and watched as she walked out of sight.

* * *

Kaoru clutched her bags and purse as she calmly walked. True enough, it was getting darker after each passing second, she could see it. Kaoru gripped her belongings harder and suddenly paused in midstep. She looked to her left and right as discreetly as she could, a feeling of uneasiness grabbing hold of her shoulders. Well, can't blame a girl for getting startled in nearly pitch-black darkness. "Sure, leave it to a new moon, why don't ya?" Kaoru hissed at nothing in particular.

She swallowed hard and was about to continue on foot when something suddenly whizzed by her left ear. "Kyah! What WAS that?" She placed a hand over her heart and realized how scared she was getting. Worked up probably over a fly or a bird. "Aaah, I'm the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu! There's no way…I can let myself get so worked up over nothing--"

"Oh but it's not nothing…" said a mysterious voice.

Kaoru whirled around but saw nothing. Or no one, for that matter. "Who's there? Show yourself, coward!" She placed her groceries down beside her and readied herself in a stance that resembled Kenpo Taijutsu. She darted her eyes nervously around before she heard rapid footsteps approach. Kaoru was tempted to scream but kept her wits about her and shielded her face.

"That alone will not save you, or your Kenji-kun," the voice cackled mockingly. It was as if Kaoru was hearing it inside her head. It was a place where she could not rid herself of such a voice. Its resounding laughter was amplified at least ten times and Kaoru grit her teeth in pain. "You may want to check your left ear."

Kaoru tapped her left ear with a paroxysmal movement, eyes widening when she took note that it was bleeding. She hadn't any idea what was going on, nor did she want to know. The tremors that ran through her body wouldn't stop. And it was almost as if someone could smell her fear. And to top it all off, Kaoru was without a weapon.

"I'd worry if I were you," the voice said again. There was a long pause.

And the next thing that sounded was an ear-splitting scream.

* * *

A/N: Bwahahahaha... cliffhanger.. I think I'm famous for these. Please review, even though it's been forever 


	6. Awaited Arrival

A/N: Woo! An update! Whoa, the apocalypse is among us all... I can't believe I did it in such a short time! (feels accomplished for .25 seconds) Okay, now that that's over... enjoy the chapter! Happy R&Ring

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**Kaoru POV:**

I'm weak… too weak. Why? Why did I let myself get captured by that? More importantly…_how_ did it happen? I mean, I don't even remember what happened afterward. Forget afterward. I'm sure I lost consciousness _during_ the encounter! Well…there's no use in contemplating about the past. I can't do anything about that. But what I can do is figure out why I'm here. And what someone apparently wants from me.

I try sitting myself up. I'm stuck. What the… oh no. My heart suddenly starts to pound. I must be bound to something. I can't see anything either. Am I blindfolded too? "Help," I cry out. Wait, I can speak? I'm not gagged? That's…interesting. No, foolish! Foolish of whoever did this to me in the first place! But I won't press charges against something that could possibly get me out of here. My eyebrows lower and my bound hands abruptly rub against something sharp. The pain is growing but…_anything_ to free myself. I'd do anything to get these ropes undone.

I pause slightly from my fervent wrist motion. I know I heard a sound. Something's coming toward me. Or rather, someone… I would highly doubt my captor is a squirrel or some other kind of animal, so a someone it is. Okay. Not the point. But I was right about someone coming. The footsteps are growing louder, the echo is somehow ringing in my eardrums. It's coming closer and I begin to panic. And so, I remain lifeless as the person walks in the room. I'm praying he doesn't notice the movements I already made toward my escape. Praying is the key word.

"My, you must have had quite a night, my fair woman," came the voice of my captor. Male, definitely. His voice? Very, very soothing. This description is very misleading. Did he really capture me? "But don't fret," he continued, "I know you're awake. I could tell." I held in a sharp breath of air. How could he tell with such ease? If he's a swordsman, I wouldn't be surprised but there are so few left and it's been that way since the last decade. But he is. I know it.

If it weren't for the blindfold, I would have seen his hand caress my face rather than have felt it on my cheek. I winced naturally, like any person would. I hadn't known that he was going to touch me in that way. I now had a feeling of what he was sincerely after. "What are you doing with me?" I asked in a dangerously calm tone. There was no sense in hiding that I was in fact conscience. I had winced, after all.

"Kamiya Kaoru…my goodness. Has anyone told you that you're very beautiful?"

"Yes," I hissed through clenched teeth. "I believe that's my husband's job."

The man laughed. And for some reason, I got scared. The way he brushed off the fact that I was married in such a careless way certainly wouldn't bode well. "Ah yes, my mistake. It would be Himura Kaoru then, wouldn't it? I apologize. Truly, I do."

"And that's been my name for over fifteen years. I don't know what you're planning on doing with me but I'm happily married and will never be disloyal toward Kenshin," I said slowly. "Tell me what you plan on doing with me!"

"Tell me something first. Do you find your life…rather lonely? I know of your husband's reputation. He's a…" he paused and waved his hand around a bit, "wanderer of some sort. Even to this very day. Normally any woman of your _caliber_ would surely forget about someone like him. Run back into _someone else's_ arms for comfort and for pleasure."

I tried to shut him out. I swear I would if I got the chance. But I couldn't reach my ears. "Please, stop this," I begged softly.

"I don't know why you don't do the same, Kaoru," he whispered hotly in my ear. He was being…very passionate and unusually gentle. His hand still rested on my cheek as he spoke and his voice gave me chills for some reason. I knew it wasn't anything good but there was nothing that could be done. Kami-sama… I have no idea what he's going to do to me! "You're quite the woman. Any man would be a fool to pass someone like you up. You're a rare find, you really are. An exquisite diamond in the rough," he said again, but this time in a much deeper voice. I felt my toes curl up.

Why was he playing this game? He knew that he was trying to toy with me. That his voice made me shiver uneasily. "Why are you doing this to me? There are plenty of other women that you could take who aren't married! And who aren't dedicated to spending their entire lives with a certain man. I am devoted to my husband and my husband alone!"

I couldn't see his reaction. But I felt his fingers graze my chin. I didn't want him. It hurt me. Not physically, but emotionally. I clenched my eyes shut as I felt him move again. His fingertips stopped on my blindfold and he carefully removed it. I didn't want to open my eyes. Even though he was allowing me to see, I didn't want to look. But as he took off the blindfold, I heard him. He let out a little whine of approval. "You're truly a goddess."

"I don't care what you say…"

He said nothing, but I finally opened my eyes when I felt something I knew I would not want to feel. His lips. They brushed casually against mine but pulled away just before I could react. "There, you see? I'm not bad at all."

I was shocked. Normally the stereotypical captor was a stuck up jerk and a fat bald guy to boot. But he was quite handsome. He had flaxen hair that ran down just above his shoulders with delicate blue eyes to match such an angular face. Oh, why do the handsome looking men have to be in league with the ultimate evil every time? It's getting old. I sucked my teeth and narrowed my eyes. He obviously could read my thoughts. Was I that much of an open book? He grinned slyly and touched my face again. Wait a second… he just kissed me! "Let me go! Get off!"

"Kaoru, don't lie to me. You liked that very much, didn't you?" I shook my head violently in hopes of getting my opinion across. Those large blue eyes stared me down. He smirked. "You have eyes like mine. Only yours are much more captivating, you know…"

"No! Stop this! I love Kenshin! He's the most handsome man I know! He's the kindest man I know…I love him more than anything so just stop…" I cried. My voice reduced to a faint whisper as he took his hand off my cheek and stared forlornly into my eyes. I stood my ground. "Tell me who you are and what you plan on doing with me! I don't doubt for two seconds that you're here to harm me. But if you're going to do that, keep away from my family!"

"My name is Hikojirou… and I was merely interested in a woman such as yourself. You have such siren-like features. That and you practice swordsmanship. Even Buddha himself could not top such a great catch."

"I am not some sort of catch! Nor a prize! And I--" I stopped short for a moment. I know that I heard that name before…but where?

_"Wait, boy! It wasn't me…I swear. I was only hired to kidnap her. It's all Hikojirou's doing!" _

_"Who?" Kenji sneered. _

_"Tagansai Hikojirou. The leader of our group."_

He…he's the head of the group that Kenji dueled with? How strong is he? "You're from that horrible yakuza that tried to hurt my son! Please…_don't_ hurt my son, I beg of you…"

"He's only getting in the way. Because I know he's determined to protect you. Since you are the only person who matters in his eyes, he's willing to fight to the end to keep you in his life. He could care less about Himura Kenshin. He's grown up without a father to help him through the difficult times and ended up heavily relying on you. This is why…my yakuza was forced to fight your son."

"But I still don't understand _why_! Why did you kidnap me?"

"I need someone. I'm sick of all of the pathetic excuses for women. And I'm tired of the fact that you wait for a man who seldom returns to his beautiful wife. It's a complete waste and I'm here to see to it that…you remember how wonderful a man's touch can feel." I looked away from him. He disgusted me. I wanted no part of it. "But I'll strike a deal with you. Only because you send my heart spiraling into the nearest heaven whenever I look at you…Kaoru-dono."

I don't want him calling me that. I know he doesn't mean it…only Kenshin does. Only Kenshin. Kami-sama, I need him back. But I will wait…no matter how long he takes. And so I take in a sharp exasperated breath. "…What are your terms?"

"We fight. A bokken to bokken, one on one fight. If you win, I'll be glad to set you free…"

* * *

Kenshin had nearly rounded the corner of the doujo when he suddenly paused for a moment. The thought hadn't really gotten the chance to settle into his mind. That he was actually coming home for the final time. He was going to be welcomed home by his wife for the last time. It was plain and simple. He gradually started walking again at his pace prior to slowing down to contemplate. His face was already flushed from steadily walking for long periods of time without even taking the slightest bit of rest. Kenshin knew full well that he could rest at home if he deemed it necessary. 

His expression was different now. It was sharper, more focused than usual. It was because he was getting closer and closer to home. Kenshin's heart began to pound. He hadn't seen Kaoru in over five months and he hadn't spent any time with her the last time he came home due to his next pressing, long voyage. "_I'm coming home for you, Kenji and Kaoru_," he thought happily as he suddenly found himself in front of those familiar doujo gates.

Kenshin slowly walked toward said gates and pressed an open palm on the door. Much to his surprise, the door gave way to the slight force and was pushed ajar. The redhead's eyes widened. He knew that Kaoru never left the gate unlocked. Even if she was at home. Thoughts flooded his conscience. What if she--? Was she going to be all right? Was she all alone? He wasted no time in rushing inside, naturally worried that something was wrong with his wife.

Rushing in dramatically, ready to defend Kaoru with everything he had, he stopped short in shock and his round eyes widened. No soon after he paused in running did a smile spread across his features. He had expected merely Kaoru to be at home. However, the sight that he took in when he rushed into the training hall was Chizuru leaning on Kenji, the two of them sleeping peacefully. He recalled a slight recollection of Kaoru mentioning that they liked each other. Kenshin was sure that their relationship would blossom into an indescribable love, as his own with Kaoru had. "They're getting older," he said to himself as he continued to watch. He took note that Kenji firmly grasped her hand in his, his left limb wrapped gently around her waist. The sight simply reminded him of his younger days with Kaoru.

Just as Kenshin was about to head into the kitchen did he suddenly hear someone speak, "N-No, Chizuru-san. Not the kimono." Kenshin raised his eyebrow with mild interest. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know what Kenji was dreaming of. "Please don't dress me up in that…(snort) p-please…" the boy muttered as he tightened his grip around her waist and fidgeted slightly, lapsing back into his reverie. He hardly even moved at all…

…It was apparently enough to stir Chizuru out of her stupor. She groaned in discomfort and realized that she had been sleeping on Kenji for some ungodly span of time. A fierce blush spread across her cheeks but she was…stuck at the moment. Kenji's arm was still protectively wrapped around her so that she could hardly stand. "K-Kenji?" Chizuru asked uncomfortably. She would have completely missed the fact that Kenshin was watching the entire spectacle if it hadn't been for her embarrassment as her eyes nervously darted around the room.

Her child-like eyes widened suddenly. And her reaction was quite the loud one, at that…

"HIMURA-SAN!"

She broke free from Kenji's embrace, the boy landing on the ground with an unpleasant 'thud' as Chizuru stood up. She looked back at Kenji for a brief moment before focusing her attention on his father. "How? I thought…I thought you were still wandering, Himura-san! This is incredible! Welcome back," she added, bowing sincerely before him.

"There's no need to bow, Chizuru-dono. I'm happy to have returned."

"Are you leaving again soon or--"

"Ow! Itaaaaaiiiiii…Chizuru-san," Kenji winced as he held his head. "Did you really have to leap up like that?" came the joking question. Chizuru laughed nervously. "But hey, why'd you do that in the first place? Is something the mat--"

Kenji froze. That was all his body allowed him to do. He was sure that he wasn't dreaming, preferably because he had just woken up. But he knew. Kenshin was standing before him. The man whom he loathed with his every being was no less than ten feet from him. And all Kenshin did was smile. Smile that sweet and sickening smile that only made Kenji more confused than he already was. He hated it. He hated how his father just showed up out of nowhere.

But his face wouldn't allow him to show such emotion. Beaded sweat rolled down the back of his neck and he swallowed hard. Kenji was certain that Kaoru would be ecstatic. But himself? He was hardly sure to say the least. "…Father…you're home…"

* * *

A/N: Insert maniacal laughter here. Err...just kidding. But yeah, another cliffhanger... I had a lot more fun with this chapter though than the last, that much, I know for sure! Well, I hope you liked this chapter...Kenshin's finally back! Woo hoo, everybody's favorite rurouni is in the plotline! So, yeah, obviously there's some side Kenji/Chizuru pairing...ness going on. ffnet is lacking it so I decided to take matters into my own hands and write about it! Thanks for sticking by, please review! (and see? it didn't take a month this time!) 

Son Christine


	7. Drifting Away

A/N: Sorry that it took more than 2 weeks for me to update, I just haven't been feeling up to writing. I don't know why that is. But nevertheless, here is the next chapter for your viewing pleasure! I'll try my absolute hardest to get the chapter out sometime within one week or two, but not exceeding that. We'll see how things turn out. In the meantime, enjoy!

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Kenji turned his head away, a snort following suit, "So… you're home again. What brings you? A quick goodbye kiss from mother again? You know, every time you come here, you leave within a matter of days, and sometimes hours…" His eyes ablaze, Kenji clenched a fist and stared Kenshin down, as though he should be feeling quite guilty. "…and," he began quietly, eyes suddenly transfixed on the floor, "how do you think that's made mother feel for all this time?" 

Kenshin gasped, "Kenj--"

"And…me too…" There was a brief moment of silence in which Kenji closed his eyelids up to the point where he felt as though it hurt. "You can't expect me to just somehow forget about how you were never there in the first place to witness the trials of my life! …How do you think I felt…knowing that my father would never come home? Never see me practice swordsmanship for the first time in my life. Never see me even hold a blade for the first time…" Kenji pursed his lips slightly, the clenching of his fist causing his knuckles to go white. "HOW DO YOU THINK THAT MADE ME FE--"

"Kenji!" Chizuru cried. "Stop, Kenji please!" She took hold of his gi and gently shook him. Kenji averted his eyes, his sour expression still remained on his childlike face. "No matter what you say…" her voice died down gradually to a faint whisper, "that can't change the past, Kenji. And you know it…"

"Please let go of me, Chizuru-san," Kenji said forcibly in the most polite tone he could offer at the moment. It was difficult enough knowing that Kenshin had returned and to that effect, he surely intended on speaking his mind toward the man who spent months and months away from home at a time. "I may be stepping out of line…but this is not your argument to interfere in. You have no business, or the right to involve yourself in something like this …" he trailed off. Chizuru's eyes widened slowly and she involuntarily took a step backward.

"K-Kenji…" she whispered as she looked into his eyes. She noticed something. Something unusual that struck her as odd. It wasn't Kenji. The person who she was staring at had cold eyes. Cold, lifeless eyes.

"I'm taking a walk," he muttered under his breath, dismissing himself as he abruptly walked past Chizuru and Kenshin. Chizuru stared down at her hands as she heard the training hall shoji slam when Kenji walked out.

"I'm so sorry for what he said to you," Kenshin said as he bowed deeply. "This is all my fault, that it is."

"Don't blame yourself, Himura-san," Chizuru said meekly. "I don't know why he said those things to me… I always thought he liked opening himself up to me. That, or just talking to me about whatever was on his mind. And he would bring up this topic too…" She twiddled her thumbs and took a deep breath before looking up at Kenshin, "I always thought it was his way of sharing his pain. That he wanted me to know what things were running through his mind…

"We'd always find time to talk. I thought it was really nice. Because before we started talking, he didn't speak at all. He isolated himself day after day. Never communicated. He'd just nod and proceed to train with his sword…" Kenshin nodded in understanding. "But after that… we became friends. He wanted me to know how he felt, like he wanted it to become _my_ business, too. I didn't mind listening, I liked listening. But now I'm not sure how to look at the whole situation if he sees that I'm not a part of it."

"Chizuru-dono," Kenshin whispered quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure he didn't mean for it to come out that way. I can tell he cares for you deeply…." Chizuru hung her head, eyes boring holes into the floor. "I'm sorry I can't be of any help," he added.

"No, no, it's okay. You just got back and are already involving yourself. Himura-san, please don't worry about this…"

Kenshin nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for being so abrupt, Chizuru-dono," he paused before staring down the hallway that led to his bedroom, "but do you know where Kaoru is? As well as Kenji, I would like to see her. It's been quite a long time for me…"

"Ah, she went out to the market!"

"…This late at night? How long has she been out?"

"Well, I'd fallen asleep about fifteen minutes after she announced that she left. So I'm not all that certain. One thing's for sure though, I know it doesn't take such a long time to get tofu and other things for dinner. Especially the amount of time it took even when Kenji and I were sleeping." Kenshin studied the floor somberly. "But I'm sure she'll be here soon. After all, it'd take someone quite strong to do her in. You even said it yourself before. She's much stronger than the average male."

"True enough. Though I can't help but worry… maybe I should take a trip to the market myself…"

* * *

Kaoru winced. Her hand quivered as she lightly cupped onto her left shoulder. "_He's a lot better than I thought he'd be. Though I've told myself time and time again not to underestimate the enemy during a battle… I just…didn't know he'd be this good…_" Kaoru's thoughts buzzed angrily in her head. Her blue eyes narrowed gradually as she noticed he happened to drop his guard. "You're easing up?" she inquired, a hint of malice emphasizing her sentence. The way in which he even loosened grip on his bokken was rather odd as well. 

"Not at all, Kaoru," he responded sweetly. Too sweetly in fact, as Kaoru felt her stomach churn uneasily. "Though with the way you're fighting right now, I'd have to say that I can beat you without even breaking a sweat."

She knew that to be true. She was well aware of the fact that he was merely toying with her, yanking her strings, as a puppeteer would do to a marionette. But her swordsman spirit would not allow her to admit defeat. That, and her conscience. It was as if a thought screamed with such tremendous passion, telling her to give it her all. Her mind, body, and soul were to always be devoted to her matches. This duel was no exception. "Even if that were to be the case," Kaoru whispered to herself, glancing down at her pale hands, which grasped her weapon, "I'm going to fight you regardless!"

A smile on his part followed suit. "Which is why I'm beginning to fall for you. You have strength and intelligence to match your beauty, don't you?"

"That's not for you to analyze!" She charged once more, becoming accustomed to the force applied when her bokken came into contact with his. It was the raw swordsmanship that Kaoru was used to. Sweating bodies, glistening faces, flushed cheeks, Kaoru knew. The weapons collided with each other again, creating a hollow sound that echoed throughout the spacious room in which they were fighting. Kaoru hadn't wanted to repeat the same techniques over and over, as that would only cause extraneous strain on her body later onward in the fight. To end the match now was ideal.

"I'm sorry, my dear," Hikojirou said softly, as he usually had, "but I think it's time for me to end this."

"Then you're thinking on the same level as I am," Kaoru replied firmly.

"All right…but if you lose, I won't just release you. I have plans for the two of us…"

"And I DON'T!" Kaoru blindly rushed in again, making mental side-notes of where his bokken was and where he was going to move next. Although she knew she wasn't skilled in making such predictions, she jumped to the left in hopes of catching him off guard. A direct hit was needed desperately but much to her chagrin, he smiled that same vulpine smile and casually motioned out of the way.

What Kaoru felt next was excruciating pain. He had discarded his bokken and instead took hold of her wrist. Never had she believed he would grab onto her wrist up to the point where his own knuckles were turning white. "_What's he trying to accomplish here?_" Kaoru winced. It was seemingly apparent that she couldn't take much more of his bind.

"I'll stop only if you say you give up… do we have a deal?"

"Never!" Kaoru replied strongly, biting down on her lip in order to distract herself from the pain in her wrist. Hikojirou easily tightened his grip on her frail arm and his lips slowly curled upward into a smile once he listened to her scream in pain.

"I know it to be difficult for you, having to endure this right now. Though who would have thought that I would resort to such a method to get you to give up? No, you see, the only way for the obstinate Kaoru-dono to relinquish her strength and succumb to me is for the pain to become so extreme that you wish you were dead rather than experiencing something like this." Kaoru gnawed on her bottom lip in hysterics. Hikojirou lightly traveled up her arm and began to twist her arm up to the point where she could no longer feel the circulation in her arms.

"You coward! Let me go so we can have a fair fight! It's what you suggested isn--"

Kaoru gasped in pain, her large blue eyes daring to water as he used his left hand to clasp onto the nape of her neck. She could do nothing; her arms were shaking violently at that point. "See, look, watch this…" he whispered as he released her. Kaoru fell to the floor with an unpleasant thud. Her body instinctly curled into a ball, trying with everything she was to protect herself. Her wrist was going to be useless, as its dull pain was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"Now you may have a few bruises after this is over… but take note that now, you cannot fight back. I've hit your pressure point on the right side of your neck and in addition, one of your arms will shortly be completely immobile. Any resistance will just drain you of the small amount of energy that you possess right now." Kaoru grit her teeth. She knew Hikojirou's analysis to be complete. What she wasn't sure of was what he was planning on doing with her now that she knew she was completely and utterly vulnerable to a man of such adept skill.

He seized her lips hungrily, ignoring any and all moans of protest coming from his partner. It was the trembling of her lips that caused him to continue. "_Now_," he thought, wrapping his arms around her waist, hands at the ready to discard of her obi, "_I'll see how long it takes for her to get accustomed to me. Five minutes at most, I predict._"

It was the way in which he kissed her, planting his open mouth over her own that made Kaoru weary. His tongue slid into her mouth, slowly but surely seeping his way past her teeth. The heat radiated from his mouth caused Kaoru's eyes to clamp shut in frustration. She was frustrated that pleasurable moans escaped from his throat. Frustrated that she had to lie there while he took advantage of her. Frustrated that she couldn't do anything about it. He was crushing her physically and emotionally.

His open-mouthed, fervent kisses proceeded within a matter of seconds, the speed increasing as he lay forcefully on top of her motionless body. He no longer cared about her needs or wants. And as far as he was concerned, Kaoru was _his_ prisoner who had lost under his terms in which she agreed to. His hands responded to such logic, ripping her obi off of her and casting it away to the side. However, he hesitated to continue and instead looked into her intimidated eyes. "Before I continue, I just want to let you know… that you must come back to me… at least once every two days. If you don't…well, I'll leave it up to your colorful imagination as to what might happen to your precious son."

"No please!" Kaoru pleaded.

Hikojirou merely kissed her gently to stop her from complaining. And just as he suspected, she froze once he came into contact with her. "You're probably aware that even a swordsman of your husband's caliber doesn't even rival my own. That and, he hasn't taken up swordsmanship in years. So I'm warning you…my sweet Kaoru-dono…do not even consider a permanent departure. We are bound as one from now on…"

Kaoru struggled to get free, his weight continuing to crush her. "Is there any way I can leave without you even trying to lay a finger on my son?"

"Yes," he responded in a calm tone of voice. "Defeat me in combat."

* * *

A/N: I'm sure all of you hate Hikojirou at this point, ne? Well, that's to be expected. Anyway, in the next chapter, I may focus on some Kenji love interest-ness... don't worry, K/K fans, I usually come through, right? There will definitely be some Kenshin/Kaoru in this story! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and have a great day! Ja ne! 

Son Christine


	8. True Affection

A/N: Finally got the next chapter out! Hope you like it and please review! It's...starting to focus on the more romantic aspects of the story, so if that was what you were going for, well, it's coming, don't worry! Please enjoy!

* * *

Kenji looked up at the stars, envious that they were so far away. The burning embers in the sky seldom faded and put the youth at ease whenever he gazed up into the night's sky. He wished, too, that he could leave his problems. And as a matter of fact, leave everything behind. "The stars look so peaceful. I'd give anything to feel such harmony," he muttered to himself, sighing heavily and bringing his knees to his chest where he wrapped his arms around his legs. He had already sat by himself for a good while, disregarding the fact that Kenshin had returned and what he had said to Chizuru. 

Chizuru…

Kenji winced mentally. What he had said to her was very harsh on his part. "I wouldn't blame her if she was angry with me for saying that to her…" he whispered, staring at his feet. His tabi were bunched up around his ankles; he didn't even care. His mind had led him astray from things. The events prior had led his mind to wander.

_"I may be stepping out of line…but this is not your argument to interfere in. You have no business, or the right to involve yourself in something like this …" he trailed off. Chizuru's eyes widened slowly and she involuntarily took a step backward. _

_"K-Kenji…" she whispered as she looked into his eyes. She noticed something. Something unusual that struck her as odd. It wasn't Kenji. The person who she was staring at had cold eyes. Cold, lifeless eyes._

"Chizuru-san…" he said mutely, proceeding to hold onto his knees tightly. He cared about her very much, and pushing her away was difficult for him to do. He slowly shut his eyes and took a short exasperated breath, annoyed with the fact that he most probably hurt her feelings. "I never meant for it to come out that way," he said aloud to himself. He was trying to busy himself with a few blades of grass, twirling them intricately between his forefingers. Nonetheless, the teen was too preoccupied in thinking about the mood he was in earlier.

It was strange to him because he knew that it was Chizuru's business. He made it her business. He _wanted_ her to be a part of his life. Before he'd met her, he had no one his age to talk to. Of course Yahiko was always there to talk to him if and whenever Kenji needed to share what was on his mind. Still it wasn't the same. Yahiko was about ten years older and Kenji knew fully that he would soon start a new life with Tsubame. Kenji knew that eventually, there would be no one for him. Was he destined to live his life in the shadows of those who truly experienced happiness?

He thought he would. The one person who ended his lonely period of life was indeed Chizuru. Kenji smiled as he took one last long glance into the dark sky, swayed by the faint glimmering in which he gazed upon. As the teen was about to lie back and get a better view in order to stargaze, he paused while setting himself down on the grass. There happened to be a faint trail of ki that he picked up, though the odd thing was that he could barely detect it. "_Whomever this belongs to… I can't even make it out…_" Kenji thought incoherently, tempted to turn around and face the person. However, there was a part of him that was somehow too afraid to move, too afraid to recognize such ki that even he could not read clearly.

"Hello?" came a sudden small voice. Kenji's eyes widened and turned around with inexplicable ease after he had heard all he needed to hear. No wonder he couldn't pick up the ki.

It was Chizuru.

He knew not where his own ki ended and hers began. Perhaps it was his own fault for growing so fond of her over the time in which they became good friends.

"Can I come over and join you?" she asked quietly. His eyes widened.

* * *

Kenshin had worried for her, that much was blatantly apparent. His face had been enveloped in anxiousness, in a way that made him appear somber. He hadn't seen his wife for what seemed like forever. And her absence only delayed their reunion. Had he known from the start that Kaoru went to go collect groceries for dinner, he would have made sure to meet her there. To hold her in his arms once again. To feel her lips against his own again. If he could have and hold her as soon as possible, it would be all the better for him. 

He casually entered the market, keeping an eye out for Kaoru as he walked past various food stands. As of yet, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of her stunning dark hair or bright blue eyes. He was beginning to think that his search was for naught but knew that it would be worth it if he had somehow managed to run into her. "_Though_," he thought to himself as he paused in front of a certain food stand, which served fruits and other various items. "Excuse me," he announced aloud, hoping to catch the attention of a certain woman who seemed to be working on something else rather than tend to her customers.

"Oh my!" The woman announced, "Himura-san!"

Kenshin smiled sheepishly once he recognized her to be an old family friend who used to tend to Kenji in his younger days. "It's been such a long time, I know," he said quickly, bowing slightly in front of the smiling elderly woman. "I've come back again this time…to stay here forever."

"You mean…you're not wandering to the continent any longer? Not even to other parts of Japan?"

"Not without my wife or my son, no."

"Well, I don't know what caused this change in you, Himura-san, but I am sure Kaoru will be ecstatic to know that you'll be with her always from now on." Kenshin nodded. "You know, it's always been so hard on her. She's tried to mask her emotions from everyone in town but little Kenji's told me that she cries more often than not when you're not here." Kenshin looked away guiltily. If it were possible, he just summoned up the urge to hold her more than he had wanted to in the first place. "Those tears will be dried forever now."

"I'm glad," Kenshin sighed, a small smile creeping onto his features as he studied his hands. "But…do you know where she might be right now? …I already went to the doujo and I got news from Chizuru-dono that she went to the market for a little while. And naturally I would have no worries with that at all except for the fact that she's been gone for a while apparently. It seems so because Chizuru-dono and my son had been sleeping for quite a significant period of time when Kaoru was gone…" Kenshin looked down at his sandals and took a deep breath in hopes of calming him down. "It's no use…I'm trying not to worry."

"She passed by here about…" she paused and tapped her index finger against her slender chin for a few brief moments, "two hours ago I would say…" Kenshin's eyes widened.

"That long?"

"I know… but don't worry, Himura-san, maybe she just…decided to stop by the Akabeko…? Perhaps you should check there and see if she's talking with Tae or Tsubame?"

Kenshin bowed as quickly as he could, running off as he shouted a resounding, 'Thank you very much!' before continuing on his way. He was well aware that the Akabeko was not far from the food stand in which he once was. On the contrary, it was conveniently close to the Akabeko and Kenshin saw that as a mere advantage as he was able to easily reach the Akabeko within a matter of thirty seconds.

"Tae-dono!" Kenshin cried, poking his head into said beef pots restaurant, eyes nervously darting around as he did so. Several people eyed him with concern but the redhead paid no attention as he stepped inside to look around for a familiar face.

"Kenshin-san?" came a small feminine voice. Kenshin believed it was blatantly apparent as to who the owner of the voice happened to be. He turned around quickly only to find out that his hunch happened to be correct.

"Hello, Tsubame-dono," Kenshin replied concisely, torso bent forward as to show some politeness. "I apologize for the loud intrusion but…have you seen Kaoru at all today?"

"Y-yes…but I saw her _hours_ ago…close to noontime. W-what's wrong? Did something happen to Kaoru-san?"

Kenshin slowly shielded his eyes with his unruly crimson bangs. Tsubame hesitated to say anything else until he spoke. "The truth is…I don't know. I arrived back in the area about close to a half-hour ago. And when I learned Kaoru wasn't in the doujo, I went into the marketplace to try and look for her. The woman running the fruit stand said that Kaoru stopped by two hours ago and hadn't seen her since."

Tsubame cupped her mouth with her left hand. "Oh no…that's awful!"

"Well then if you haven't seen her, I think I'll be on my way. Give my apologies to everyone I've startled and to Tae-dono for not greeting her properly." Tsubame nodded pensively. Kenshin smiled for a brief moment as he turned his back on the Akabeko and began to walk in a different direction. The marketplace had an extensive amount of places to search through and it worried him, as he thought it would take some time before he was able to reach his wife.

It had been about ten minutes before the small amounts of people already on the marketplace began subsiding even further. Kenshin hadn't minded. Just so long as he found any sort of trace of Kaoru. So far, his entire search had been for naught. Walking up and down the main roads of the marketplace, there was a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that he hadn't been searching thoroughly enough. "_Perhaps I should check the alleyways as well_," he said calmly to himself, turning his body around and starting for the nearest alleyway.

As if fate was leading him toward said alleyway, he suddenly heard a loud thud in the direction that he was walking toward. His natural reaction led him to sprinting toward that sound, heart pounding fiercely within his chest. As he paused, his usually calm eyes widened in fear and his hands began to tremble involuntarily. He'd seen Kaoru lying on the floor, her hair loose and unkempt. Her kimono was dirtied and battered. Unceremoniously, Kenshin ran over to her and kneeled down. His scream echoed throughout the entire alleyway, "Kaoru!"

* * *

"When things get tough for me, I look up at the stars too…" Chizuru muttered, playing with the grass that lay at her feet. Kenji said nothing in response. "…um…I wanted to talk to you about earlier today, Kenji…" 

"Don't say a word, Chizuru-san," Kenji whispered sincerely, suddenly staring into her large eyes. She paused and refrained from any sort of movement as Kenji looked down at her hands. "I was thinking about all that before you even got here and it really got to me. Everything that I said, I regret now because I hate talking out of anger. I hate saying things that I don't mean…" Kenji reluctantly paused only to place his hand on top of hers. "Chizuru-san… what I said to you before wasn't…true. I want you to be a part of my business and after I've told you everything that's been troubling you, you are a part of it."

"You don't have to apologize…I understand that what you said was only fueled by anger… and for you to even admit that makes me feel relieved. I didn't want to believe what you said earlier was true and now I don't even have to do that."

Kenji continued to stare at her hands, the solitude of the night drilled into his eardrums. His eyes slowly crawled down to half-mast as he said nothing, heard nothing, and continued to feel the smoothness of the back of her hand. He knew then, at the precise moment in which he touched her, that she was unique in his eyes. One of a kind. The one person that touched his heart in a certain way. He saw their familiarity as something to be cherished, seeing as how he hadn't experienced that sort of closeness with many people, let alone a girl his age. "Chizuru-san… in reality…"

She looked at him as he pensively glared at their entwined fingers. Kenji had been clutching her fingers at that point as if he wanted to say something important but couldn't.

"Chizuru-san…I…um…"

"What is it…?"

Kenji solely leaned in closer and rested his head on her shoulder. "Chizuru-san…you're so important to me. You mean so much to me. And I just wanted to tell you that…" He felt her body relax as soon as he finished his sentence. "It's…true. I've never felt this way before."

He slowly lifted his head from her shoulder and smiled deeply and affectionately at her. "If there's one person who's been beside me to listen to me and support me, it's you." Both teens closed the gap shortly after. The redhead affectionately nipped at her bottom lip for a moment, hesitating whether or not he should go through with kissing her. Though Chizuru returned his reluctantance without seeming slightly bothered, taking a strong hold of his hand as she hazily closed her eyes and proceeded to touch his lips again.

"Thank you…Chizuru-san," Kenji whispered in between their short, sincere kisses.

* * *

A/N: Well! There you have it...another chapter concluded! I was listening to old love songs while writing this so I thought it was sorta cute to write a Kenji/Chizuru moment in this. There will be more Kenshin/Kaoru in the next chapter, I promise! So please review, I really hope you enjoyed this! Thanks a lot for putting up with my delays in writing. My sister's wedding was yesterday and it was a success! Being a bridesmaid was an honor : ) So now all I have to worry about is completing my AP work and then I'll hopefully be updating regularly! Ja! 

Son Christine


	9. A Familiar Face

A/N: Sorry for the really long wait! Good news? I'm thoroughly inspired to write more of the story since I'm "reobsessed" with RK! It's been over 3 years since I've loved RK and the love never dies! Yay! So here's the next chapter, I hope you like it, It's longer than usual, so this is my tribute to my readers! Please review, I hope you give some sort of feedback.. it's very much appreciated...(plus itbrightens my day, I read them all) well, anywho, enjoy!

* * *

Kenshin was hunched over his wife's resting, limp form. He had brought her back from the alleyway in which he found her, his mind in shambles. What had happened to her? Why was she in an alleyway of all places? An endless amount of questions flooded his mind. He had wanted nothing more than to ask her of what happened and why she would end up in such a state but for the time being, he merely watched as she rested comfortably on their futon. His eyes seemed to bore holes into her, as though he were concentrating on Kaoru and nothing else at that moment. 

He leaned down so that his lips met her forehead. He knew that she was going to come to soon and parted with her abruptly but gently. He watched intently as her eyes clamped shut for a few brief moments, realizing that she hadn't yet regained all consciousness but was willing to wait forever. "Are you all right, Kaoru?" Kenshin inquired just above a whisper.

"…Ken-Kenji is that you…?" Kaoru groggily opened her eyelids but all she could make out was a blur of fiery red hair.

"No," Kenshin replied, brushing his lips over hers in the gentlest of ways. "It's me…"

Kaoru had recognized that kiss better than anything else. She knew then whom it belonged to, who would treat her so wonderfully. It could only be Kenshin. "Kenshin… Kenshin?" She tried her absolute hardest to shake off her feeling of fatigue. Revealing her bright blue eyes, she could deny it no longer that her husband was indeed by her side and that he wasn't merely just an illusion. If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch him. There would be something to touch.

Kaoru spread her arm outward and surely came into contact with his chest.

She felt solidity.

"It _is_ you… it really is you…Kenshin you're back!" Kaoru cried ecstatically, sitting herself up with ridiculous ease after catching the sight of the man that she loved with all of her heart and soul. "How did this happen?" Her arms encircled his neck and she pressed herself closer to him up to the point where her head rested comfortably against the well of his neck. "Kenshin…I can't believe you're here… I missed you so much…"

Kenshin smiled deeply and slowly broke the embrace. "I came back yesterday during the late afternoon. And when Chizuru-dono told me that you had left for such a long time…I got worried and went looking after you…" Kenshin took the time to caress her cheek with the back of his hand for a moment, staring into the eyes that he had forever missed whenever he had wandered away from her for such a great period of time. How he despised leaving her. It had pained him time and time again and yet he continued to do it so. "Kaoru… you scared me half to death…and more if it were possible when I saw you in that alleyway last night."

Kaoru's eyes widened. She had a faint recollection of being in an alleyway but she hadn't been aware of the fact that Kenshin was the one who had found her limp form moments afterward. "_What had Hikojirou done with me after I had lost consciousness? Why was I so weak?_" she thought busily to herself, almost forgetting that her husband had returned to her after such a long time. And for a brief moment, she felt rather selfish. Selfish because she could only think of herself in danger, whereas she could be thinking about Kenshin's sudden return and how blessed she was to have him back in her life.

Kenshin had noted her rather occupied state of mind and affectionately nuzzled his head underneath Kaoru's slender neck.

"What are you thinking about Kaoru?" Kenshin inquired sweetly, taking a firm yet loving hold of her hand. He waited for her to glance over into his eyes before he dared speaking again, "You can't fool me…" he added teasingly, stealing a kiss from her while she was still trying to register his solemn tone of voice. "I know when you're thinking of something else or are worried about something… please tell me what's troubling you. At least confide in me… after all, it's what I can do now that I'm home with you."

"What spurred your decision? Usually you write before you come home… so I was really surprised to see your face a few minutes ago." Kaoru added while Kenshin cocked an eyebrow. "But it was a good surprise!" she giggled.

"There was a man I ran into during my journey. I had helped his daughter from a band of thugs and they'd let me stay with them for a few days. …And somehow he found out that I was traveling while you and Kenji were here by yourselves." Kenshin studied his hands. "We got into this long talk about it and how he mentioned that the past couldn't be changed… that alone made me think about things. I had left you and Kenji in repentance for my sins committed a very long time ago. I was too focused on my past and I had, in some ways, let go of my present and future. Kaoru…"

"Kenshin, what is it?" Her eyes trailed down to the floor where he had hunched over and bowed deeply in front of her. She noticed his tense shoulders and his trembling form. It shook her still, when she saw nothing but his back, forehead pressed roughly against the floor. "Kenshin please stop…"

"Kaoru please forgive me for leaving you… please forgive me for all of the trouble I put you through when I was absent. You've been so loyal to me and--" Kenshin paused his train of apologies abruptly when he felt the gentle caress of Kaoru's hand brush upon his tense back. "I-I can't change what I did back then but I--"

Kaoru knelt down beside him and softly pushed his lips against his until he ceased any and all apologizing. "That was the past… remember, we can't change that now, can we?" She muttered in a low tone, looking up at him with mischievous blue eyes. Kenshin grinned and wrapped his left arm around her waist as tightly as possible.

"Ow…" Kaoru muttered almost inaudibly, had it been for Kenshin's keen sense of hearing.

"Kaoru? I'm sorry…what did I do?"

"Aaa, it's nothing…" she averted her eyes. Kaoru had momentarily forgotten about what Hikojirou had done to her in combat. That and the fact that she knew for certain that there must have been bruises underneath her yukata… wait, yukata? Kenshin had undressed and redressed her? Then wouldn't he have mentioned something if there were indeed bruises? "Kenshin, you took care of me like this… I hadn't expected you to get me into a yukata…"

"It was my pleasure," Kenshin winked, replying truthfully and yet giving her a sexual sort of look at the same time. "Though…I was going to bring it up later but seeing as how you just reminded me… why do you have bruises all over your stomach?"

Kaoru cursed under her breath. She avoided answering and knotted her hands in her lap as she looked away. Kenshin could tell with the way that she was playing childishly with her thumbs that something was wrong. "Kaoru…I found you lying unconscious in a dark alleyway… your kimono was torn… You were unspeakably pale!" His voice rose, as did his worry for his wife. "I don't know why you were in such a state but I went to find you in the market in hopes of holding you, kissing you…doing everything that I was unable to do when I was away… so when I ended up finding you hours later, completely passed out, naturally I worried!"

Kaoru felt her heart sink with every growing doubt that made its way into her mind. Had Hikojirou not threatened Kenji in the way that she did, Kaoru would feel more apt to tell Kenshin just what had happened…

_"Before I continue, I just want to let you know… that you must come back to me… at least once every two days. If you don't…well, I'll leave it up to your colorful imagination as to what might happen to your precious son." _

_"No please!" Kaoru pleaded. _

_Hikojirou merely kissed her gently to stop her from complaining. And just as he suspected, she froze once he came into contact with her. "You're probably aware that even a swordsman of your husband's caliber doesn't even rival my own. That and, he hasn't taken up swordsmanship in years. So I'm warning you…my sweet Kaoru-dono…do not even consider a permanent departure. We are bound as one from now on…"_

"I don't remember what happened to me," she lied. Kenshin raised an eyebrow for a moment and then calmly sat before her.

"If you're lying to me, Kaoru… it must be for a good reason because I know it isn't like you to lie. You've never lied to me before… but please, if it is something that I can help with, tell me whenever you can. I worry too much for you. I have and I always will… you can think me overprotective all you want but that won't change anything. I love you too much."

"Kenshin, and you have no idea how much I love you…" He took her into a gentle embrace, wrapping the thick futon sheet around them both before delivering a passionate open-mouthed kiss to her.

After some silence, Kaoru fidgeted in his hold. "What's wrong?"

"There…is one thing that I'd like to ask of you…"

"Anything, Kaoru," he replied softly.

"…Can you help me with my swordsmanship training?"

"Oro! Kaoru, but what for?"

She looked up into his eyes and sighed heavily, "Well, I've let myself get soft after we got married… you know that. We were too busy with trying to have a baby… and then once I had Kenji, I was so wrapped up in trying to take care of him… and then--"

"Shh…" Kenshin cooed, placing an index finger along her lips to quiet her down. "I know, I know. Kaoru it was probably hard for you to continue the lifestyle you once lived. But don't worry about that. Of course I'll help you with whatever you need…"

"Thank you… and you can't even deny that I've gotten much softer…"

"Y-yes, but I still view you the same way as you were when you were eighteen. Though I always knew something about you would never change…"

"And what might that be?" Kaoru inquired incredulously.

"That you're my cute, sexy tomboy," he whispered in a deep voice.

Kaoru's face grew beet red. "I take it you haven't changed either."

"No, I haven't," he smiled before taking her into his arms again but in a more careful and gentle manner, as to cradle and protect her with everything that he was.

* * *

The man stepped off the boat in one of the harbors in Yokohama, running a hand through his hair. It was already very early in the morning and he hadn't expected the ship to let off at such an ungodly hour. Nonetheless, he couldn't do anything about it, and complaining about things wasn't really his style. Shrugging off his bad timing, he began walking in the direction of Tokyo, his bag slung over his broad shoulder. Though his face seemed to be unreadable, he was quite excited to be going back to where he once used to reside. 

His face was enveloped in shadow, deep eyes full of what seemed to be maturity and experience. They stared down at the ground as he walked, certainly contemplating where he was headed to and what he might encounter once he got there.

"I still have to pay _them_ a visit," he smirked to himself, readjusting his bag, as his arm was beginning to grow tired. "Huh, well, surely they'll be surprised to see someone like me show up after all this time…"

* * *

"I brought the journal with me when I left the doujo," Kenji muttered to Chizuru, pulling said book out of his long and airy sleeve. She watched the book with such intent and had hoped that he would open it and begin reading from it again. "I didn't think I'd actually start reading another entry since I came out here to think in the first place… but…do you want me to read from it? I don't mind." 

"Sure," Chizuru said enthusiastically, shrugging her shoulders. Kenji grinned impishly and took hold of her hand. Chizuru smiled.

"Okay…well, where were we?" He muttered, flipping the journal open and leafing through the endless pages of illegible kana. "'There was one point in my life where I never believed that I would experience such pain. The pain in which you feel like your heart is being severed into two pieces or even ripped from your chest…'"

_I had never expected to feel such attachment to the Kamiya doujo and all of my friends that I had met about three months prior to where I was now. I knew that they were all nice people and that they were very caring. But there was something I never expected to feel. It was love. I was in love. What else could that feeling possibly be when your heart sinks in a pleasurable way whenever that certain someone is close to you or compliments you? I knew I had to be in love with Kaoru-dono. _

_It was over a week ago when I had started dreaming about my past as Hitokiri Battousai. I wasn't sure what to make of those visions. I surely hadn't wanted to think that they were prophecies of some sort, seeing as how that would result in chaos for the people that I happened to be close to. I did my best to not think of these visions but they somehow kept invading my personal space, as if they didn't want to be left alone and forgotten after all these years. _

_I learned that my dreams were not to be ignored… an old enemy from my past, Saitou Hajime: former member of the 3rd squad of the Shinsengumi, happened to be in the area and was going under an alias of Fujita Goro as a policeman. I knew that nothing good came from it, seeing how the doujo had been attacked and Sanosuke, being the only one there, was pummeled by him. I knew it to be his handiwork. The Shinsengumi had a particular medicine chest that caught my eye recently. And then I knew that nothing would ever be the same. _

_I was involved in a duel the next day with an insignificant henchman, I take it. I was able to defeat him, but at the price of returning late to the doujo. Kaoru-dono had greeted me when I returned, telling me that my life was in danger and that a policeman had come inside for the time I had been absent. I was taken aback when I recognized said policeman as the Saitou Hajime I once knew. So he had come back to settle the score with me and I hadn't denied his request. It was as if something took over. My tremors returned to my hands as I shook with pure excitement. To fight a battle simply meant for the revolution was what I had suddenly wanted. And so I had. I had clashed swords with my former rival once more. _

_He was trying to awaken the Battousai within me, and made good on saying he would do so. Over a matter of time, taking in all of his attacks and trying to defend myself as much as I possibly could, I released. I could feel my murderous intent flow through my veins. And I have to say that I felt addicted. I was drawn to the sight and smell of blood when I continued dueling with Saitou. But at the time, much to my chagrin, the fight was put to a halt. All of a sudden, a police chief who went by the name of Kawaji and the government official himself, Ookubo Toshimichi had shown up at our door… _

_I had received word with everyone else that Shishio Makoto, my predecessor of all people, was planning to destroy Kyoto. And Kyoto itself was a city symbolic of the revolution and how I murdered shamelessly. I didn't know what to do. My friends hadn't wanted me to go…and yet in Kyoto there was bound to be chaos like no other. Ookubo said, too, that he would give me a week to decide whether or not I wanted to go through with going back and facing Shishio. I was certain that even a week's time would not suffice. But then again, I would eventually have to make a decision. _

_The week afterward…Ookubo was assassinated. I was to go and visit him that day and speak with him about the matter but I ran into his corpse on my way. A huddle of people were crowded over him and I couldn't believe it. I knew it be one of Shishio's men. It was inevitable that chaos was indeed happening all over again. _

_And so it came… nightfall. My mind was made up and I had returned to the doujo only to find Kaoru-dono waiting for me in the dark all by herself. I know not how long she stood waiting for me, but she knew I would come back. I couldn't leave her without saying goodbye. This is where I felt such gut wrenching pain. I had to tell her abruptly that I was leaving. There wasn't any point in dragging such a matter out. It would only hurt me more if I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I was parting from her. _

_As I told her, I felt an indescribable urge to tell her how I felt about her, and how I saw her generous behavior toward me as nothing but extremely amazing. She objected. She didn't want me to leave but I knew what I had to do. And so I took her into a strong embrace, remembering the feel of her body against mine. She was shivering violently as I held her. I knew that she was going to break down and yet I held onto her for dear life still. I thanked her as calmly as I could, trying with all my might not to cry along with her. And then I let her go. My release was the most painful. How I felt nothing afterward. It was an empty and painful feeling. Not being able to see her again, turning my back on her was the worst thing that I believe I'd ever done in my life. But…I did so…I walked away from her so that she would not be able to see my tears. _

"Oh wow…" Chizuru muttered under her breath as soon as Kenji stopped reading. "That was one of the saddest things…I've ever read, or witnessed, or even heard about. Kenji…do you see now how your father cared for your mother? It's blatant…"

Kenji said nothing; his eyes froze over the words in the journal. He, too, had agreed with Chizuru. However, it was in silence. His face was vacant of anger. "Chizuru-san…I almost… feel sorry for my father…"

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope you liked it! Told you there would be some Kenshin/Kaoru in this chapter and indeed there was! I was going to use _kawaii iroke otemba_ for Kenshin's "cute, sexy tomboy" remark but decided not to, ah well! At least I mentioned it here. And Kenji's starting to accept Kenshin? Hmmm... 

**Poll: **Who do you think the mystery man arriving in Tokyo is? XD

I'm curious as to see how many people guess correctly! Thanks a lot for reading and I really, really hoped you liked this chapter. I even stuck in another journal entry for those who like reading them. Please leave a review, I need to know where this story is headed and if it may or may not be promising... thank you very much, again

Son Christine


	10. Far From the Truth

A/N: Waaa! It's finally an update! You mean to say I found ACTUAL free time during school? Yes, I did! XD So, I hope that this chapter is liked! That and.. the results of our poll at the end of chapter nine are in:  
...74 percent of the reviewers guessed Sanosuke  
...5 percent of the reviewers guessed Soujirou  
...5 percent of the reviewers guessed Saitou  
...11 percent of the reviewers guessed Enishi  
...5 percent of the reviewers guessed Yahiko  
It's clear where the favorite stands now, ne? All right, with some of your explanations, you mentioned that you based your guesses on the Seisouhen (or the final OVA). Just to make this clear to you guys, I'm not basing this story at all on the Seisouhen. XD So therefore, there will be no unnecessary drama, pain, suffering, and just plain angst regarding Kenshin and his past. Ah and to answer a question, no, Kenshin doesn't have that weird disease...(I think it was leprosy..) in this story! Wai! He lives! So! This is just my random version of what happens post-Kenshin/Kaoru getting married and all that. :whew: Wow, that was a lot of information. So on with the story!

* * *

Kaoru stood behind a screen, discarding of her yukata in which she slept in the night before. She was almost positively certain that Kenshin was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He must have been aware of the fact that last night had taken its toll on his wife, seeing how they had to get used to their rather…intimate lifestyle all over again. It'd been quite some time since the last time they had expressed feelings for one another, and their prolonged interlude was too long for both of their tastes. Hardly what either of them wanted. 

Sliding into her deep, navy hakama and colorless gi, Kaoru gently adjusted her topknot and hummed a sweet tune to herself, happily looking about the room. She allowed her eyes to trail down to her futon. Its disarray state was somewhat comforting in a way. Surely Kaoru had known that she and Kenshin would exchange feelings for each other at that moment the night before. She'd known it and wished for so long that it could indeed become reality once more. And so she willed it so, Kenshin denying her nothing.

Kaoru knew it was going to be different now that he was going to be home now and always. She knew it would be a struggle between Kenji and Kenshin. It wasn't going to be easy. The mere thought of that brought Kaoru's worries to a certain level of unease. She involuntarily brought her forefinger to her lip and thought for a few moments whether or not things would and possibly could go back to normal.

Though things had only begun to change. Hardships were inevitable, as Kaoru had known that Hikojirou was going to look for her if she hadn't complied with his terms. She'd of course want to stay with Kenshin for the rest of her life, as she believed that whenever he was near, nothing could possibly go wrong. But then again, Hikojirou brought up the argument of whether or not Kenshin would be able to fend him off, what with not practicing swordsmanship for a considerable amount of time. Kaoru's heart raced. She knew not of what to tell her husband. She knew she desperately needed help. But where she could seek it was the problem.

"_…Which is why I have to rely on my strength from here on out_," she thought to herself, bringing her index finger instinctively up to her bottom lip for the second time.

* * *

Kenshin's eyes almost dared to bug out once he and Kaoru were alone in the training hall together. More or less, he had been shocked by the frightening, determined look on her face. It was an appearance of Kaoru's that he hadn't seen in years. "You…uh, are really serious about training?" Kenshin babbled incoherently, averting his eyes every so often. Kaoru gave him _the_ look. "K-Kaoru, please calm yourself," he reminded nervously, his hand finding a comfortable spot behind his head as he sheepishly glanced at his wife. 

"I'm all right," she replied firmly, making her way toward the main wall. She placed her hand around a bokken that hung on two supporting nails on said wall. "Now Kenshin…"

"Eh, what is it, Kaoru?"

"…You _will_ train me… won't you? You won't go easy on me…?" Kaoru's flaring blue eyes only had brought a smile to Kenshin's lips. "Hey… why are you smiling?"

The redhead shrugged. "Nothing… just thinking of old memories."

"Is that so…?" Kaoru asked softly. "W-what memories?"

He had thought it pointless to train at that moment in time, as he was well aware of the fact that his mind had left him. It'd gone astray to bittersweet nostalgia. "…The same thing happened just now. Well… not quite the same thing, but something very similar to this," Kenshin mused in a calm tone of voice. "It was when we were going to be married. I would say… about a week before… and you had been worried that you would grow soft after we married and tried to consummate a child. So you asked me one night…to train you." He paused and motioned for his wife to come sit next to him as he told the story of long ago. She did so willingly.

"Go on," she coaxed.

"And I was worried…because I didn't want to hurt you. Though, you were quite persistent. And of course I couldn't blame you. You were getting nervous about the marriage, as was I. And you wanted to do things that you wouldn't be able to do later on in your life because you believed that you would be a preoccupied wife and mother in the future." He twiddled his thumbs hesitantly. "And well, you gave me that same look. _That_ one," Kenshin gestured, tapping Kaoru's nose lightly with his forefinger, "and I trained you like you asked."

Kaoru smiled. "Then surely you won't mind doing it again!" He grinned.

"Well," he replied softly, "I hope I don't get distracted like last time…if you get what I mean." Kaoru's face had been tinted red moments after.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," she retorted teasingly as she proceeded to hold her bokken out in front of her.

* * *

"I can't say I thought of the situation like that," Yahiko laughed as he swigged his tea as quickly as he could. "Well…I guess…I've thought about it. But I don't want to rush into anything," he promptly added before returning to running a wet rag across a low-rise tabletop. 

"I've seen you though. You're really compassionate about all of this and I was just wondering when the right time would be," Tae pondered, resting her chin against her open palm. "You know…I think she's been getting very anxious too. Though there's nothing to be worrying about and that everything will run smoothly. That's what I think."

"Thank you, Tae-san," Yahiko replied softly. "I think the time will come soon enough."

"Well that's good to hear. All right, Yahiko. Thanks for helping clean up, you can go." Yahiko bowed out of gratitude before rolling down the sleeves of the dark blue gi he wore. He'd always gone to work at the Akabeko from sunup to about noontime. Surely he hadn't minded the chore, as he had always been fond of Tsubame who worked there herself. On the contrary, he liked helping at the Akabeko, specifically because of that reason that he was able to talk with her for long periods of time.

"Oh, you're leaving already?" came a voice he knew all too well.

"I'm sorry Tsubame," Yahiko replied, turning on his heels to face her. "But I feel that I should be helping Kaoru more…now that Kenshin has come back."

"He has?" Her large eyes widened in complete shock, "s-since when?"

"Well, I haven't exactly seen him myself. Tae-san told me she saw him yesterday and that this was the first place he stopped in. She said that he was looking for Kaoru. I wonder what brought that about… I would have thought that she would have been at home, hoping and praying for his return but I guess not…" Yahiko instinctly began chewing on his lower lip. "For some reason, I don't think that everything's all right. I don't usually like being the pessimist, but I think that I should leave to go and check up on them."

"Let me go with you, Yahiko-kun," she pleaded softly.

"No, I don't want you to get in trouble with Tae-san. But when you're done, I'll come and get you. I promise." Yahiko took a weak hold of her hand and stepped toward her with his left foot to give her a small kiss on the cheek. He meant it not to lack affection, though in one's eyes, the kiss had been brief and unloving. However, Tsubame knew of the way he felt for her and openly accepted whatever sort of expressions he had to offer.

She waved goodbye, as politely as a woman was able to. And she stood smiling as she watched him leave from her sight into the bustling crowds of Tokyo.

"You love him?" Tae asked as she walked over to stand beside Tsubame as she watched him go, the gleam in her eyes still apparent.

"Y-yes…"

* * *

Yahiko slung his arms languidly over his head for a moment as he walked. He could admit freely that working at the Akabeko wasn't exactly the easiest chore. Tae found herself fortunate enough that a man had been helping them for quite a while, so she was used to putting him to work. "_My shoulders are so tense from work…I definitely have to go to the doujo for a little while. To relax, and to see Kenshin after all this time_," he mused. "_…and that reminds me…How is Kenji dealing with all of this…? Maybe I should talk to him abou_--" 

The youth's train of thought had immediately been lost once he felt himself lose balance. Something had roughly brushed up against his right side and assumed that he'd bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry--"

"Hey what was that for, damn punk?" roared a drunken sounding voice.

"Excuse me?" Yahiko angrily eyed the man and was about to show him what for when he suddenly froze. Could it be? Could it really be? It was the same bandana, the same white outfit, the same everything right down to the bad symbol on his back. "Sano?" Yahiko almost dared to screech but…well, he was a man and restrained himself from shrieking like a schoolgirl whenever it was necessary to do so. "Sagara Sanosuke right?"

"Who the hell are you?" Sanosuke eyed the boy quizzically, squinting his eyes as best he could.

Yahiko gave him a blank stare.

Hello? Fellow freeloader standing right before you? You know…the one that went on all of those adventures with you fifteen years ago? …Ring any bells?

…

"Holy SHIT! Yahiko?" Sanosuke's eyes widened to a degree in which even he could not comprehend. "Whoa! You look so different! You actually look normal!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Huh," the ex-gangster snorted, "and it seems like you haven't changed either. Still like to pick fights, eh?"

"You're the one picking fights!"

"Okay whatever, who cares!" Sanosuke decided that it would be in their best interest to completely brush the situation off. How…mature of him? "The point is that I haven't seen you in years and this is pretty kick ass if I do say so myself… That and I'm not going off and leaving Tokyo again. 'Cause the way I see it, I didn't really like ditching you guys to go train. Truth is, I'd rather play dice and get drunk than go train."

"Typical…"

"So it's time for me to mooch off Jou-chan again!" The fact that he was quite proud of his freeloading tendencies worried Yahiko a bit too much.

"You're actually not the only one who isn't wandering off again. Kenshin's here to stay now."

"You serious? Whoa, who knocked sense into him anyway? I thought he was never gonna move on…"

"It seems as though it's a good thing that he's not leaving Kaoru anymore. You know how she's waited for him day after day, praying for his safe return." Sanosuke nodded thoughtfully. "Well, it's hurt her, and it's basically pissed Kenji off up to the point where he hates Kenshin. And it's not this ordinary hate. It goes way beyond that apparently," he muttered. "I just hope that things can go back to the way they were."

"Kenji's a replica of Kenshin, isn't he?"

Yahiko laughed. "Well, not personality-wise but he looks quite similar to him, yeah."

"Hoo boy, I gotta see this for myself," Sanosuke murmured, realizing that he hadn't seen much of Kenji at all during the last fifteen years.

* * *

"_Achoo!_" said redhead sneezed loudly as he hunched over to try and contain his outburst. Chizuru eyed him and cocked an eyebrow. "Ah, sorry about that Chizuru-san," Kenji sniffled quietly and brought the back of his palm up to his nose for a few moments. "_Could have sworn that sneezing means someone's talking about you…_" he thought suspiciously as he glanced at nothing in particular. "A-anyway… would you like me to walk you home now? You spent the night here in the doujo and I'm sure your parents would like to see you." 

"Don't worry, Kenji," Kaoru called out firmly from the training hall. Both Kenji and Chizuru heard the noise of her bokken drop and a cry of defeat shortly followed suit.She hadobviously had enough for one day. There was only so much the youthful looking kenjutsu instructor could take against someone with a high caliber such as Kenshin."Kenshin and I are done training, so I'll walk Chizuru home now. I'm going out in a few minutes too."

"Are you sure, mother?" Kenji asked, raising an eyebrow. Kaoru herself looked as though she were ready to collapse at any given moment. Beads of sweat still trickled down her temples and her gi looked positively disgusting. Thus, the life of a swordsman, she thought. "You look…eh, tired?"

"I'm fine. I'm just going to go out…and…collect things for tonight's dinner." Kaoru held herself back and refrained from speaking anymore than she should have. She knew today was the day to meet with Hikojirou once more. She had hoped that she would stand more of a chance against him now that Kenshin had contributed somewhat to her basics and her intermediate fighting techniques. And she knew it would not end. No, it would never end. Not until she beat him in a match. Only then would Kenji no longer be threatened and in danger. "Come on now, Chizuru," Kaoru said politely, a small smile tugged on her lips.

Chizuru waved goodbye to Kenji as well as Kenshin and obediently followed Kaoru out of the doujo gates, leaving only Kenshin and Kenji in the room. The teen himself hadn't liked such an idea but said nothing of it and remained silent for a few moments. Secretly, he had wished he could have gone with them or just wanted to be somewhere else. But he knew that wasn't the reality.

"It's been a long time," Kenshin said solemnly.

Kenji nodded. And he almost regretted suddenly saying what he did at that time."Why don't you tell me of your past firsthand…? I've heard portions from others…and I must say, I'm mildly interested." His blue eyes bore holes into his father, wondering if he really would get straight answers from him or not. Surely the journal was going into more personal detail than he should ever have to know. However, it was time for him to question his father personally. Especially when there was time to do so.

Kenshin glared at his son for a few moments before silently approving. "…Okay, follow me, then."

* * *

A/N: So I hope you liked this chapter, it means a lot that I still have readers! I'll try to write the next chapter as fast as I can, school permitting of course. Please review! Your words of wisdom are greatly appreciated 


	11. Shades of Revolution

**The Tears of a Warrior**

**_Chapter 11 - Shades of Revolution_**

* * *

Chizuru nervously glanced at Kaoru as they walked through town. It'd always been awkward for her whenever an adult accompanied her, even if that adult happened to be the mother of the boy who she cared deeply for. Not only that, the girl noticed that Kaoru possessed several bruises that ran up and down her arms, the kimono unable to hide such conspicuous marks. Though she noticed them, she wasn't sure if she should mention it. After all, Chizuru felt as though she was being nosy and shamelessly trying to pry into Kaoru's personal business wasn't something she wanted to do. …However, those cuts and bruises concerned her and she knew that Kenshin hadn't been the type of man to inflict damage onto his loved ones. 

"Aaah, Kaoru-san…I-I have a question…"

Kaoru noticed Chizuru's sporadic stuttering and looked down upon the girl in question. "What's the matter?"

She wasn't sure exactly on how to phrase it. Granted, she couldn't just _blurt out_ something along the lines of, 'Oh no! Your arms are so repulsive looking! What happened to you?' Chizuru shook her head at the mere thought that formulated in her mind. "Um," she muttered just above a whisper. Kaoru arched an eyebrow once she saw Chizuru fumbling with the sleeves of her conservative blue kimono. "…Kaoru-san…um, w-what would you do if someone hurt you badly?"

"Physically you mean? Why, did someone do that to you?" Kaoru inquired in a concerned tone of voice.

"No, no it's not me. …I'm just worried…because I saw the marks on your arms…" she slowly trailed off and averted her eyes from the older woman. "I'm worried, Kaoru-san."

Kaoru took a deep breath and looked down at her hands, "there's no need to be worried. I'm all right."

Chizuru took Kaoru's abruptness as a signal that she no longer felt comfortable talking about the subject. And yet it still made Chizuru wonder if she really was all right. She knew Kaoru to be a strong individual and nothing short of brave. So why had she turned away? Had Kaoru been abused? "_If she really was, I'm not sure I want to know who did it to her. I'm sure whoever inflicted such damage on her must have been very strong_," the youth pondered. "All right," she spoke cheerfully, "I believe you. I'm sorry to even bring it up."

"No, it's all right Chizuru-san. I appreciate your concern," Kaoru replied mutely.

The two had been talking for what seemed like quite a long time. The awkward feelings Chizuru had experienced in the past two minutes had decimated, as she realized that they reached her home. Chizuru stammered a quick goodbye before promptly jogging toward her front door. "_I hope she doesn't think I'm rude_," Chizuru thought again to herself, busily playing with the sleeves of her kimono. Kaoru knew it to be a nervous habit of Chizuru's but thought nothing of it as she waved goodbye to the girl.

"Now I'm starting to worry everyone around me…" Kaoru muttered as she solemnly went on her way.

* * *

Kenshin fumbled through the drawer in his room while his son looked…quite apathetic…to say the least. He wasn't even sure as to why he asked his father about his past. There was nothing he could do about it now. He let his blue eyes busily dart around the room to make up for the lack of communication. There was something stagnant in the room, possibly because they hadn't uttered one word to each other ever since Kenshin told Kenji to follow him. And of course, Kenji had been known to appear fidgety if ever he was presented with some sort of awkward situation. This was of course, no exception. He hoped to find something around the room in hopes of finding something worth looking at. 

The teen glanced down at his hands and examined his fingers. Ah, that hangnail looked pretty interesting right then and there. Or how about the fact that one of the floorboards seemed to be loose? Surely the candle in the corner of the room had some sort of appeal…?

…

No such luck.

"_It would be GREAT if I could get the hell out of here. But nooooo, I just HAD to freaking ASK. Now I'm sitting here and practically pretending that__ the floor is remotely interesting. Joy._"

"Now where did I put it?" Kenshin silently cursed and proceeded to look through more drawers.

"_As if he didn't have enough to look through_," Kenji's thoughts hissed inside of his mind.

"There's no way I could have misplaced it…" Kenshin murmured yet again.

"_Wait…misplaced what?_" Kenji's eyes began to widen.

"I wrote all of my entries in there!"

"ENTRIES?" Kenji shrieked.

"Yes, entries. I wrote a journal," Kenshin replied, "why, is that a problem?" He arched an eyebrow and looked at his son. Kenji looked as though he was going to have a heart attack. The poor unfortunate realized what he had said…a moment too late.

"_Shit! I said that out loud! Now he's gonna ask me why I said that. Then I'm gonna get it from him cause I HAVE his journal! And then mother will find out! And she'll get mad at me too! And then she might not let me see Chizuru as punishment…!_"

"…Kenji, are you all right?"

"_…swing down with his sword and get my THROAT CUT or something!_" Kenji let his shoulders drop as soon as he finished ranting. His colorful imagination had really gotten the best of him. He quickly regained composure, as he vaguely remembered Kenshin asking if he was all right. No. 'All right' would be refraining from blurting out that Kenji obviously knew something about his journal entries. 'All right' would most probably mean that Kenji should not have been hyperventilating. And yet…

"I'm all right, father," Kenji said stoically.

Kenshin was certain that Kenji was just putting up a front. However, he dismissed the issue by averting his eyes. "Well, since I must have misplaced my journal, I guess I'll tell you everything I know from memory. Is that okay with you?"

Kenji, on the other hand, was merely thinking about how he dodged the bullet concerning the journal. He was sure that Kenshin had suspected him, but Kenji counted his lucky stars like a good boy and let the matter be put to rest. "Yeah sure, whatever you say," he replied absently.

Kenshin readied himself to share his life story with his only son. His only child, whose flesh and blood came from a part of him, and a part of Kaoru as well. He wasn't sure if there was a delicate way to go about sharing his adventures and his hardships. However, he was certainly willing to try if it meant having Kenji accept him as his father.

"I guess…that things must have been hard for you, Kenji. I don't know for certain, since I'm not you. But I can imagine that growing up without someone to always be there for you was difficult." Kenji folded his arms and turned his nose up at Kenshin. "And I've never been able to talk with you about my life because I always felt that you were too young. I didn't know if you would be willing to talk to me. But now you're 15-years-old."

"I'm aware of that," Kenji retorted.

"I think that I was very similar to you when I was your age. Truly. I…was told that I was a caring person. And I did my best to try and help others. My parents died of cholera when I was very young. I felt as though helping people was something I was obligated to do. Since I had no parents, I hadn't wanted people to become accustomed to the suffering I once experienced. I think it was too much for me to handle at such a young age."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because I wanted to rush in and blindly help everyone I possibly could. And my master knew that. He tried to stop me from going, he said I was his idiot apprentice," Kenshin paused and felt his lips curl upward. Though Kenshin hadn't let out an appreciative laugh, he smiled for a few moments before continuing his story, "and during the Revolution, I said that I could see pain and suffering right in front of my eyes. Even though I was one person, I had to help. I had to try and make a difference somehow. I think I was around fourteen…"

"But you should have known that just one person probably wouldn't have helped at all. No, instead, you worsened the situation and earned yourself a hateful name."

"Yes. I became a Hitokiri. It was…sort of ironic…that I was trying to stop assassins and yet I ended up becoming one myself. That whole time was depressing. The whole time…when I got this scar…" Kenshin faintly placed his fingers upon his cheek. The scar was still there, its outlines faint and light pink. "It rained blood. Everyday. I never imagined I would see so much…crimson in a mere four years."

"How did you get your scar?"

"…It was the doing of two people. And I killed them both. One of the deaths was completely unintentional."

"Who was it?"

Kenshin's eyes narrowed and as he looked down at the floor, bangs of red shielded his vision. For a moment, he sat thinking about Tomoe. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to tell his son about her. Or worse, he wasn't sure of what he might think of it all. After all, she had been the first to steal his heart away. She was his first love, his sheath during the chaotic times of the Revolution. If it weren't for her, he wasn't sure if the ice around his heart would ever thaw out. Such an important role in his life she was. And Kenshin was contemplating if he should hide her from his son. "…A woman."

"You should really stop being so vague," he said crossly.

"She was…the woman I had fell in love with during the Revolution…"

Kenji's eyes widened. "You…you _killed_ her?"

"Unintentionally. But even before that, I felt as though our relationship was also unintentional. You see, the person that gave me half of this scar, and the one that I killed first…was her fiancé." Kenji took a step backward in disbelief. "I imagine that she was crestfallen…and most likely wanted revenge for what I had done to shatter her life. However…I'm not even sure of what happened. I met her again in a bar… and we began spending more time with one another. And that was how our love somehow came to be. I met her when I was fifteen, your age. And she had been eighteen."

Kenji said nothing; his facial expressions spoke volumes instead. In the pit of his stomach lay an unfamiliar sickness. Something that made him want to throw up. Learning even the beginning trials of his father's life had been difficult enough for the teen to bear.

"Tell me Kenji…do you know what love is?"

Kenji looked up into his father's solemn eyes and reluctantly nodded. "I…I think I am in--"

"With Chizuru-dono?"

Kenji nodded. "…I feel as though she is very important to me, and that I will always be there to protect her no matter what dangers I might face. She's always been there to talk with me and to listen. In some ways, she is my most valuable friend."

"What I felt with her was similar to your description."

"No…" Kenji muttered. "No. You met her under the circumstances where she was initially looking for revenge and most probably wanted you dead… And she somehow changed her mind and fell in love with you even though you killed her fiancé. That situation isn't even remotely similar to how I care for Chizuru-san." Kenshin sighed and folded his hands. "That woman… that woman was… only out to kill you at first. I wouldn't even call her feelings for you love. And I don't care if you'd like to argue that they were. I, personally, have no attachment to whoever this was. Mother is the only one who I considered to be truly in love with you."

"I know she is but--"

"Then where does _your _heart stand? Do you still think of that woman all those years ago? Because if you do, then I have nothing to say to you right now. If you still think of her as your lover, then you are obviously not the man everyone thinks you are. You are a cheater. You cheat mother. And I will not stand for that. _Ever_." Kenji backed away further and quickly dismissed himself from Kenshin's room. "_I will never forgive him for that. How dare he prove himself disloyal to mother_," Kenji thought angrily, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword and stepping outside of the doujo for fresh air.

* * *

"I'm ready to face you again," Kaoru said sternly, her clammy hands shaking uncontrollably as she held her bokken in front of her. 

"Your words and your body language are fighting intensely with themselves," Hikojirou calmly noted, readying himself with a shinai. "Are you sure you're ready for this again? You know, you can always succumb to me without having to hurt yourself. That's what it is, you're aware…it's self-infliction… You're allowing yourself to get hurt. You'll never win."

"Spare me. You know that I'll never back down. Especially if it means gaining my freedom from the likes of you."

"Touché, my dear."

Kaoru slowly let her eyelids close and tried her hardest to remember what Kenshin had been telling her. She tried to read Hikojirou as best she could, but the more she tried to listen to his heartbeat, the more she studied his facial features, she found him to be relaxed and as calm as ever. There were no traces of emotion once he held a weapon in his hand, something Kaoru found to be extremely difficult to overcome. But there was no way to back down now. Kaoru knew that.

She counted to three before quickly opening her droopy eyes and ran toward Hikojirou, making him think as though she was going to collide with him head on. He looked at her, the same vulpine smile attached to his lips, and waited for her to carry out her incredibly simple attack.

The agile woman leapt to the right in a matter of less than a second, came toward her target and allowed her knuckles to turn blazing white as she held onto her weapon with such an extreme force.

And then…there was blood.

The world went dark, and all was quiet…

* * *

_A/N: Blah, I'm sorry this took so long. I remember writing this story in anticipation when it first started out. Then it sorta went... "eh" on me. But it's funny. Because once I started writing this chapter, I got so into it. Weird how that happens, huh? I wrote just a little more than usual in this story, probably because of that whole Kenji and Kenshin segment  
I adore writing Kenji's parts in this story. He's so arrogant and yet he's really caring at the same time. I wasn't going to have Kenji forgive Kenshin in this chapter, since it'll probably take a lot for him to actually accept him. You can tell, since I (hopefully) made him appear stubborn.  
Yes, a little cliffhanger for you all. I am actually going to start writing the next chapter right now. And I have a new story coming out soon. Stay tuned, haha  
(And I do know that the title of this chapter is also an RK song) I found it...vaguely appropriate?_


	12. Breaking Point

**The Tears of a Warrior**

**_Chapter 12 - Breaking Point_**

* * *

Kaoru had a faint recollection of where she was, but she wasn't certain. Had she lost again? She deduced that it was so, seeing how whenever she tried to move, all she could feel were her insides contorting in ways she never thought possible. Trying desperately to sit up, she let out a scream. Her incoherent thoughts and inquiries tried to stream past her lips, but nothing came out. "_All I remember was…connecting with his sword…then darkness…_" she thought to herself as she let out several exasperated breaths. "Where am I?" she questioned to herself with bated breath, careful not to move too quickly. So she just lay on the floor, waiting and waiting. Though her body had ceased to function, her mind had been working on overtime, questions overflowing passed her own comprehension. 

She had guessed that she was still in the room where she fought Hikojirou. She gathered that much, seeing as how she felt a sturdy hardwood floor beneath her lithe, trembling form. Nonetheless, something struck her as odd. If she had been lying on the floor, helpless and vulnerable as she was currently, where had Hikojirou gone? And why had everything suddenly become so quiet up to the point where Kaoru could hear a dull ringing in her ears?

"Move…" Kaoru muttered to herself in a low tone. She tried desperately to get the feeling back into her limbs but it was more difficult than one might think. Numbness had constrained much of her movement already and it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable lying there. A few moments past, she was able to move her limbs quite slowly. She knew not if she should rest there for several minutes longer, and yet she was at the same time reluctant. "_If I am in his training hall…then where could he be? Did I hit him?_" She knew that if she connected with her attack, he wouldn't be down for long and soon she would fall prisoner to him.

Acting quickly, Kaoru forced herself to sit up, wincing a great deal as she did so. "_I can't lose again. I can't keep lying to myself and to Kenshin about what is really going on…_" And suddenly, the fact that she had been lying to the man whom she gave her entire being to…concerned her. Surely she was worried about his safety, realizing that Hikojirou was a great deal stronger than Kenji and most likely Kenshin, since he had been out of practice regarding swordsmanship. She hadn't wanted Kenshin to get into any danger, just because Kaoru had allowed herself to slip into such an unfortunate predicament.

Her eyes darted around the room, scanning for signs of life. There were no signs of Hikojirou, or his shinai. There were in fact, traces of blood. The assistant master put an index finger to her lips. There was no blood. Indeed she had connected with her attack. But where had he run off to? In all honesty, Kaoru hadn't wanted to find out. Shakily, she rose to her feet, her body crouched as though she were on guard. Kaoru sensed no presence around her and so she clutched onto her bokken and walked at a lively pace outside of his clutches.

* * *

"Damn it," Kenji swore, his arms hugging his knees as he stared out into the surrounding landscape. His feet rested against a rock that was partially submerged in a small pond. "Why? …Why did he have to come back?" The arrogant teen grit his teeth and fumbled around for anything to throw. His hand clasped around a small pebble and he felt obligated to throw it into the water. "I just HAD to ask…didn't I," Kenji whispered sourly. The pebble he'd thrown skipped several times, gentle ripples spreading apart gradually as seconds passed. "_Though…I wanted to know…so this is what I get for being so nosey…_" Kenji closed his eyes for a few moments. 

He had begun to think about what he said to Kenshin and if it were really fair to accuse him of not being faithful. Kenji had a hard time admitting things, that much he already knew. Though he wasn't sure if he should look at it from Kenshin's point of view. After all, in his eyes, Kenshin wasn't exactly the greatest role model, nor had he been there for him for all of his fifteen years of existence. So why had he felt guilty about saying what he did?

_"That woman… that woman was… only out to kill you at first. I wouldn't even call her feelings for you love. And I don't care if you'd like to argue that they were. I, personally, have no attachment to whoever this was. Mother is the only one who I considered to be truly in love with you." _

_"I know she is but--" _

_"Then where does your heart stand? Do you still think of that woman all those years ago? Because if you do, then I have nothing to say to you right now. If you still think of her as your lover, then you are obviously not the man everyone thinks you are. You are a cheater. You cheat mother. And I will not stand for that. Ever."_

"I know I said what I did, and back then I was blinded by anger to think things through. But…even so…that woman seemed to irritate me. I don't even know why," Kenji thought aloud, hugging his knees even more so than before. Perhaps he had felt jealous _for_ Kaoru…That Kaoru was not his first, as he was her first. "The fact that she devoted herself to him while he may have been trapped within his own Revolution… I don't see--"

"You ass! That was my foot!" came an exclamation from behind the now startled teen. Kenji slowly turned himself around, resting a few pebbles down back on the ground and noticed a rustling bush which now seemed to have concealed a brawl from his eyes.

"Shut up! It's not like I meant to blow our cover!"

"Damn kid!"

"Err," Kenji stammered, reluctantly walking toward the aforementioned bush. He recognized one of those aggressive voices to belong to Yahiko. The other…well, he wasn't quite sure at all. Though, the other man seemed blatantly drunk for some reason. "…Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, Kenji! Ha ha! I guess you found us," Yahiko exclaimed sheepishly, leaping out of the bush to reveal his awkward gesture of rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"How could I not when you two obviously destroyed my train of thought. Speaking of which…who are--"

"Whoa, looks like you were right, Yahiko. Kid's a spittin' image of Kenshin." Kenji blinked. "Except for his eyes but whatever, who's really paying attention to all the detail here? So anyway, my name's Sanosuke," the ex-gangster noted, casually revealing himself from the bush as well. "I've met you before, it's just that you probably don't remember me and I left a while back and never got the chance to visit in a damn long time."

"You've been mentioned a lot before, so I remember you," Kenji replied formally as he bowed slightly, eyes averted all the while.

"He's even got his mannerisms down…"

Kenji looked away for a few moments at the pond he sat at prior to his rude interruption. "I'm sorry…you just…caught me at a bad time right now. I was thinking out loud about something."

Sanosuke raised an eyebrow. "Well duh, we heard yo--"

Yahiko took it upon himself to nudge Sanosuke so that he would stop talking. "…Kenji, we did hear about some of what you said…about Kenshin. So you did see him after all?" The boy nodded. "I knew that it would be hard for you to see him after all this time. But I trust you didn't attack him?" Kenji wanted to laugh but remained silent. Some unnerving feeling had got the best of him; it was apparent that Kenji disliked talking about his father. Yahiko knew that to be very true. "Kenji…are you all right?"

"I'll be fine…I'm just a little confused right now."

"We're gonna head on back to the house," Sanosuke said, jerking a thumb in the doujo's general direction, "you coming?"

Kenji hesitated for a few moments before placing a hand on his hilt. "No…no, not right now. Not after my little argument…" He smiled weakly at the two. "I'm sorry. I'll come back to the house in a few minutes. I just need that much…"

Both Yahiko and Sanosuke were hesitant to leave him there but proceeded in going back to the doujo regardless. No one said that it would be easy for Kenji to accept his father, if and when he could actually bring himself to do it. Kenji ruefully watched the two leave until they were out of sight. "This'll be harder than anything I've ever faced before, I just know it…"

* * *

Sanosuke sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, already helping himself to large quantities of sake. "I don't know, the kid's just so damn stubborn if he can't put the past behind him, that's my logic right there," he muttered. "I mean, we heard him before, right Yahiko?" The aforementioned boy nodded. 

"He was thinking aloud, we couldn't help but eavesdrop," Yahiko added.

"This isn't what I wanted to come home to, ya know? I mean, I haven't seen all of you 'cause I was in Mongolia for who knows how long, and now this. Kenshin, I seriously wish your kid would just realize how good he had it and just forgive you."

Kenshin closed his eyes gradually, hands folding across his lap, "I'd like that more than anything right now. I know that I wasn't there for him in the past because I wandered around and tried to help people. And I know that I shunned him while doing so. I didn't realize that he needed me most and that he was the one I should have helped… I regret leaving him and not being there for the majority of his life, I really do."

"Then there's nothing you can do about it now anyway," Yahiko noted, "See, you and Kenji are so focused on the past. Maybe this is why you're not getting anywhere."

"I gotta agree with the kid on this one. Both of you just can't seem to--"

It was at that moment in which Kenji silently entered the room. The boy said nothing. He merely glanced at them as though he were intruding. "_They were probably all catching up on things and making up for lost time_," the redhead thought. He wasn't sure if he should have felt jealous or angry. Jealous because of the fact that he'd wanted to join them and learn more about their past as friends. But angry due to the fact that he learned of his father's past as a Hitokiri and how there was so much more to him than Kenji had ever imagined. A dark heart loomed during those lonely years when he had been a manslayer. And Kenshin had been willing to share his past story with Kenji. He spoke of Tomoe and most probably knew that Kenji would reply with a certain outburst. And he had been right.

Kenji winced almost unnoticeably when he looked into the eyes of his father. Those calm violet eyes… He never would have guessed that his own father was a heartless assassin over thirty years ago. And yet, Kenji saw something in those eyes the more he made reluctant eye contact. He saw guilt, he saw loss. But something shone out strongly, something that Kenji saw above everything else. He saw hope. "_Why? Why do I sense such optimism coming from him? Does he really think that everything's going to be all right? That everything will run its course?_"

Those eyes…

"_He…he wants to fix things. Why? He's not supposed to care. He's supposed to just leave again. That's all I've been used to. I remember every instance where he left for months on end…_" Kenji balled up his fist. Kenshin could have guessed what he was thinking about. His son hadn't made it too difficult to come up with some sort of guess, seeing as how he looked as though he was at conflict with himself. "_I remember it_," Kenji thought. "_I remember those eyes. I remember that hopeful expression_," the boy's train of thought had only continued to grow stronger with every passing second that he kept his eyes transfixed on Kenshin's own.

_"You'll come back, I know you will," Kaoru muttered, stifling her tears. She had always known that Kenshin was faithful to her. "Just…be careful. For my sake, and for Kenji's."_

_"Of course I will. I always take care knowing that your prayers are with me," Kenshin cooed, taking Kaoru's cheek and kissing her tenderly. As they shared their heartfelt affection, he watched in the background, large blue eyes tempted to well up with tears. He hated watching Kenshin leave, because it often meant watching Kaoru suffer. And that was something he could not bear to look at. Not for ten years of his life._

_"You know we miss you. Now and always," Kaoru pulled herself away out of Kenshin's reach for a moment. _

_"W-what's wrong?"_

_"Kenshin, I wish you wouldn't have to go…as selfish as that sounds. I just miss you too much." She couldn't help it. And at that moment, tears rolled down her cheeks, one by one. They left her smooth skin tainted with moisture, her eyes growing bloodshot each time she clamped her eyelids shut in sorrow. The more she trembled, the more Kenshin felt compelled to hold her close before he departed. And so he did._

_And all he did was watch, tears now running down his face. He saw her fall to her knees when Kenshin whispered his goodbyes._

Kenji came back from his reverie in shock, his eyes widening as he looked Kenshin. "_That…that was a memory from five years ago_." Kenji's thoughts raced through his mind almost as quickly as his heart beat within his chest.

"Kenji…are you all right?" Yahiko inquired, noting that the boy was turning a ghastly shade of pale.

"I'm…I'm fine," the teenager replied. He finally averted his eyes and took a deep breath. The rosy color in his cheeks shortly returned after collecting his thoughts and realizing where he was at the time.

"Want some sake?" Sanosuke grinned while simultaneously pointing at a large jug of alcohol.

Kenshin shot him a look of annoyance and the rooster merely shrugged it off. "I'm…going to go lie down, excuse me," Kenji bowed slightly due to the company that stood before him and dismissed himself rather quickly. He treaded lightly down the hallway and Kenshin merely sighed when he heard Kenji's shoji click shut.

"Go talk to him, man!" Sanosuke nudged Kenshin roughly and the redhead winced, as he was almost knocked over.

"Don't volunteer Kenshin, Sano," Yahiko chided.

"No, he's not…I'll go. But I don't know what kind of effect it'll have. I mean, when I was talking to him before…he just got upset and walked out. For all I know, that'll just happen again. But you know, I can't stand watching him like this. And just now, he grew so pale. Why? I don't know." The rurouni rose to his feet rather firmly. "I'll be right back."

They both waited until Kenshin was completely out of earshot before they turned to each other and grinned. "So, uh…how much are you willing to wager here?"

"Five-hundred," Yahiko stated smugly.

"Fine, five-hundred it is, you're going down, asshole!"

"Ha ha, we'll see, Sano. I happen to know Kenji a bit better than you do."

"True, but I could tell that the kid is really upset about something. I can tell he wants to work things out. I'm so gonna win this."

"Then only time will tell."

* * *

Kenji clutched his pillow, forcing himself not to scream. He didn't expect to have those flashbacks. Recently, he'd stopped having them. And he thought it was for the better. But now that Kenshin had returned, something was triggered. Kenji didn't want a part of those old memories. He tried hard to suppress them, burying his face into said pillow. "Just…stop this," he muttered to himself, slowly lifting his face. It was then that he suddenly realized that his sheets had been soaked in tears. The teen put a hand up to his cheek. Indeed, he had been crying. 

Just as Kenji tried to wipe his tears away, he heard his door slide open. His eyes widened in shock, as did Kenshin's. "Kenji…you're crying?"

* * *

A/N: I'm finally finished with chapter 12, since I had small amounts of free time here and there. Sorry that it took two months... I hope that it won't have to come to that again. Everyone has a breaking point, so Kenji's reached his, poor boy. I hope you liked reading this chapter for those of you who still read this story... I'm going to continue the next time I get a bit of free time Please review so I know who's reading this anymore, thanks! 

Son Christine


	13. Suspicion

**The Tears of a Warrior**

**_Chapter 13 - __Suspicion_ **

**_

* * *

_**

At the moment all he could taste was the sweet salt of the tears that rolled slowly down his cheeks. Kenji hadn't minded that as much as he minded that his privacy had been invaded. By his father of all people. Surely he wouldn't have minded as much if it had been Yahiko. Kenji viewed the older boy as some sort of a role model regarding both his swordsmanship and character. But instead to have his father walk in on him weeping over something that Kenji could no longer control frustrated the teen immensely.

He turned his face, red bangs falling gracefully in tow. "_I can't believe he just saw me like this_," Kenji thought angrily. Gnawing on his lip while his left hand clutched the sheets of his futon, his mind raced. "_Now he's just going to think I'm…some kind of coward! Some frightened child!_"

"Kenji… what's--"

"No, stay away from me…I'm all right!" Kenji waved his father off sternly, fingers outstretched in front of him. Kenshin hadn't flinched, or even blinked for that matter. He merely stood there, hands by his sides and at ease. Kenji glared at him, wondering why he was doing nothing but remaining as still as a statue. "What!" Kenji snapped angrily, "you've seen enough of my tears now, so leave…"

"Something's obviously troubling you, that it is…" Kenshin replied in a dangerously calm tone. The way in which Kenshin spoke irritated Kenji a great deal. He grit his teeth irritably for a few moments afterward.

"Granted," replied his son. He tried his level best to avoid any and all contact, eyes fixated on his hardwood floor. True enough, there had been quite a number of things that were wrong lately, and Kenshin had only added fuel to the fire, according to the teen. And he knew that if Kenshin had not come to check up on him, he would still be hunched over his futon in frustration. What his father had done, Kenji believed it to be a violation of personal space rather than a warm welcome. "…so why are you still here," the boy spoke quietly, just barely above a whisper. His arm unconsciously rose to his face where he used his dark blue sleeve to roughly wipe his tears away. For a moment, he sat studying the fabric, which had had dark streaks running along upside it.

"Because I'm concerned… It's not everyday that I see my son… let alone my son _crying_ his eyes out."

"And did you ever stop to think for two seconds that you might be the reason that I'm so frustrated?"

Kenshin nodded slowly. "I've been meaning to talk to you ever since I've returned. But you won't let me. All you're doing is pushing me away and isolating yourself. This…alone time for you…it's tearing you apart." Kenji's eyes narrowed as he inhaled sharply. "You're thinking too much. But that's natural. When anyone is alone, they tend to think. But the problem is… you're only thinking about things that are hurting your emotional state. You're letting your fears and anger feed off of your negative thoughts. Why? Why do you continue to distance yourself?"

"Spare me."

"I'm only asking a simple question."

Kenji balled up a fist and glared at Kenshin for what seemed to be an eternity. "You…you think that you can just walk back here and _fix _everything just like that? You make it sound so easy! But it's not… it's really not! I hardly even know you!" Kenshin walked forward in small but noticeable strides. His son's blue eyes widened to twice their size as he watched him close the gap between them. That expression of his, without a doubt, mirrored the look of fear. "I've heard stories, sure… about how you were the noblest of men. About how you wielded your sword in the name of peace… Mother has gone on and on about it… but how was I supposed to know if it was true or not? I hadn't seen any of your pacifistic actions with my own eyes…"

Kenshin merely smiled. And he continued to walk forward.

"And then I heard about when you were a teenager. You took hundreds of lives. A hitokiri! So there were two sides to you…that I never even knew about. And what was I supposed to think? How could a man who was once a manslayer be a pacifist?" Kenji's eyes furrowed as he thought more and more. There was no way Kenshin was supposed to be as kind as everyone said he was, right? Why should he ever believe the accounts of his family and friends? It was the way in which Kenji thought things should be. He was supposed to go on hating him. "There's no way! There's no way… that I could ever--"

Kenji froze. It had been completely unexpected and allegedly uncharacteristic. He suddenly felt the arms of his father encircle him in a tight embrace. Words tried to escape through his lips but couldn't. His breath hitched as he felt Kenshin tighten his grip. "I'm sorry," he said, "it seems that there's no way to convince you that I care about you. But I do. I really do."

There was nothing that the teen could say in response to Kenshin's words and actions. He wanted nothing more than to struggle and free himself of Kenshin's hold. But he also felt compelled to sit there. The entire feeling was new to him. The fact that he had been held by his father after so many years had baffled Kenji up to the point where he didn't know what to do. His mind no longer functioned normally and his body refused to budge. "Why are you…doing this?" Kenji whispered slowly.

Kenshin said nothing for a few moments. He felt his son tremble within his hold. "Because I…" Kenshin trailed off for a moment. Indeed, why had he held his son? Obviously because he had missed him. But there seemed to be more to it than that. Kenshin was a bit confused himself. "I just don't want you to live your life…being as angry as you are. I want you to truly…be happy."

Kenji's eyes widened as he heard Kenshin say such a thing. Then, he gradually released him. "I'm sorry about this," Kenshin added as he silently treaded out of Kenji's room. Kenji remained in awe. His eyes followed the apparent movement of his shoji and once it clicked shut, he felt his eyes sting with the bittersweet tears that he had been hiding from his father.

"Why is he making this so difficult for me?" Kenji asked himself. He closed his eyes for a few moments and rested his head on his futon. "Why…"

* * *

Kenshin walked out with a relatively grim look on his face, Sanosuke and Yahiko peering at him with mild interest. Neither one of the two wanted to drag things out and instead preferred to cut to the chase regarding Kenji. However Kenshin made it blatantly apparent that he was troubled in his own way. Yahiko looked ruefully at Kenshin, hesitant in actually saying anything. Though instead, Kenshin spoke first. 

"It was rather…interesting."

"What was?" Sanosuke inquired, a certain eagerness in his voice.

"I couldn't think of much to say to him…so I did the only thing I popped into my head."

"And that being…?" Yahiko nagged.

"I…took him into my arms and just held him." Both Sanosuke and Yahiko gasped as though it were on cue. "And he didn't even fight me off. Though I'd imagine it's because he was dumbstruck…if anything. I'd probably do the same thing if I were in his place. I wouldn't know what to make of things. And I don't even know why I did what I did… Perhaps it was because my words could no longer reach him. And I still wanted him to know that I never meant to neglect him." Yahiko nodded thoughtfully. "I never wanted him to be so angry. And I don't want it to be too late for him to change."

"He's definitely struggling. You must've gotten through to him somehow," Sanosuke added. "I mean, you saw the kid. He was sorta pale and you could definitely see him shaking… if that isn't a sign that something's bothering him, then I don't know what is."

"Sano's right… I've never seen him look so unstable before," Yahiko added. "Usually…he's just calm. He leaves in the morning to go train all day. Then right before dinner, he comes back home. It's been like that for as long as I can remember. Maybe your arrival has something to do with--"

"I'm home," came a voice suddenly interjecting Yahiko's. The three spun their heads around almost in unison. "Oh, I'm sorry… you all look so serious. Did I interrupt something?" Kenshin smiled brightly as he recognized the voice to belong to Kaoru. He rose from his cross-legged position and walked over to her. "Really, Kenshin…what's the matter?" Kaoru asked quietly, placing a hand upon his shoulder as she looked worriedly into his eyes.

Kenshin merely smiled as he watched Kaoru's eyebrows furrow. He hadn't wanted his wife to worry and so he tenderly brushed his hand so that it rested upon her cheek. "Sorry for worrying you, Kaoru," he whispered soothingly, lightly pressing his lips upon hers. He had momentarily forgotten that Sanosuke and Yahiko were in the same room as they were and so he pulled back slowly, observing that Kaoru's cheeks were lightly flushed. Kaoru looked away shyly for a moment and Kenshin automatically realized that he shouldn't have kissed his wife… in front of their best friends of all people.

"Woo, woo! Go for it, Kenshin!" Sanosuke hollered. Kenshin only smacked himself in the head. Quite a mistake on his part.

"Now, now," Kenshin interrupted, "that's not really necessary…"

"Kenshin's right, Sano… grow up, will ya?" Yahiko nudged as he shot a rueful look at the redhead. "And plus, it's not like YOU haven't done worse…" the boy added with a smug look on his face. Sanosuke hesitantly nodded after a short while. "Sorry about that," Yahiko apologized in a softer tone.

Kaoru waved a hand at her apprentice and smiled. Surely she had known that Yahiko grew up to be a fine young man but sometimes he surprised her. She hadn't expected that he would one day begin to tame Sanosuke just as they had once done. The assistant master sighed contently. It was hard for her to believe but Yahiko was finally a grown man. "It's late," she finally answered in a gentler tone than usual. "Seems that it's been a long day for all of us… what with you guys looking serious and everything…"

"Yeah maybe we should head out, runt," Sanosuke addressed to Yahiko, "we can tell all they wanna do is get it on…"

"Sano!" Kenshin cried, his face turning a brilliant shade of red.

"Has it ever occurred to you that we just might be tired? Jeez, everything running around in your head has something or other to do with foreplay! Get your mind out of the gutter, Sanosuke!" Kaoru chided, bokken (somehow) at the ready. She motioned for Kenshin to follow her and so he did. "We're heading to our room, but you guys can stay for a little while longer if you want. Yes, you too, Sano…"

"All right!" the ex-gangster shrieked in delight. Kaoru arched an eyebrow at him but paid no attention to his annoying mannerisms. A few seconds of silence befell the group and Kenshin eventually put his arm around Kaoru to signify that they were leaving.

Sanosuke put his head down for a moment after hearing their retreating footsteps. The sake jug in which he had drunk out of was not nearly empty yet. And so, being the sensible friend he was, he reached for it. However, there was something else that suddenly caught his eye. The tap that Sanosuke heard a moment later had made it official. "Psst, Yahiko, did you just see that?"

"See what?"

He walked toward the entrance of the hallway and bent down to pick something up. "This."

"…Well, it would be great if you could tell me more than just 'this' you know…"

Sanosuke strode back to where he once sat and held it up for the other boy to see. Yahiko raised an eyebrow. What he had been holding was a fragment of a shinai. "What in the world…?" Yahiko slowly went to reach for the fragment and suddenly realized that it hadn't come from one of Kaoru's swords. "This looks to be a shinai used for display only… either that, or it was really expensive. See this moldin--"

"Would ya stop with all these complicated technicalities?" yelled Sanosuke passionately as he waved his arms around. He cleared his throat and acted as though he hadn't just lost it mere seconds ago. "Anyways… I saw this drop from Jou-chan's obi… what do you think the story is with that one? …Maybe she was training with some students?"

"Can't be…she said she was going out to collect things for dinner… Kenshin told me that before."

"So what the hell is going on?"

Yahiko placed his forefinger against his chin and left it there for a few moments. "Don't know… But I'm getting a really bad feeling about this… Maybe we should follow her next time…"

Sanosuke clapped his hands together. "Sounds good, runt."

* * *

A/N: Yahiko and Sanosuke squad to the rescue! Will they be damned to argue with each other for the rest of their lives or actually get on the case? Only time will tell, review thanks guys! 

Son Christine


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